Attorney General of New Mexico

Attorney General of New Mexico
Attorney General of New Mexico
	Seal of New Mexico
	Incumbent; Raúl Torrez; since January 1, 2023
Term length	Four years
Formation	1912
Website	Attorney General of New Mexico

The attorney general of New Mexico, an elected executive officer of the state, oversees the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and serves as head of the New Mexico Department of Justice.

The officeholder, who is required to be a licensed attorney, is fifth in succession to the office of Governor of New Mexico, after the Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, Secretary of State of New Mexico, President pro tempore of the New Mexico Senate and the Speaker of New Mexico House of Representatives.

The attorney general of New Mexico functions as the state's chief legal officer, legal counsel to state government, consumer advocate and guardian of the public interest.

Statutory responsibilities

The officeholder represents the state before any courts or agencies when the public interest requires or when requested by the Governor and prosecutes and defends all causes in the New Mexico Supreme Court, New Mexico Court of Appeals, or any other court or tribunal in which the state is a party or is interested. The New Mexico Attorney General prosecutes and defends all actions and proceedings involving any state employee in their official capacity, as well as may represent residential or small business consumers before the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.

Upon request, the AG will provide written legal opinions to the legislature, any state official, or any district attorney on any subject pending before one of these officials. In matters involving the state Election Code the AG provides legal assistance to the Secretary of State of New Mexico.

The AG drafts contracts, bonds, and other instruments as required for use by the state.

At the governor's direction, the AG may attend and assist in the trial of any indictment or information in any county of the state. When a District Attorney fails or refuses to act, the AG may act on behalf of a county in any criminal or civil case.

In matters of the impeachment of a state legislator or employee, the AG initiates conflict of interest enforcement actions. The AG also prosecutes removal proceedings against district attorneys.

The AG establishes and maintains a register of all documents filed by charitable organizations and makes it available for public inspection.

List of New Mexico Attorneys General

Parties

Democratic (29) Republican (3)

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Party	Years in office
1	Frank W. Clancy	1912	1916	Republican	5^{[note 1]}
2	Harry L. Patton	1917	1918	Democrat	2
3	Oscar O. Askren	1919	1920	Democrat	2
4	Harry S. Bowman	1921	1922	Democrat	2
5	Milton J. Helmick	1923	1924	Democrat	2
6	John W. Armstrong	1925	1926	Democrat	<2^{[note 2]}
7	Fred E. Wilson	1926	1926	Democrat	<1^{[note 3]}
8	Robert C. Dow	1927	1928	Democrat	2
9	Miguel A. Otero III	1929	1930	Republican	2
10	Ernest K. Neumann	1931	1934	Democrat	4
11	Frank H. Patton	1935	1938	Democrat	4
12	Filo Sedillo	1939	1940	Democrat	2
13	Edward P. Chase	1941	1944	Democrat	<4^{[note 4]}
14	Clyde C. McCullough	1944	1948	Democrat	<5^{[note 5]}
15	Joe L. Martínez	1949	1952	Democrat	4
16	Richard H. Robinson	1953	1956	Democrat	4
17	Fred M. Standley	1957	1958	Democrat	2
18	Frank B. Zinn	1959	1959	Democrat	<1^{[note 6]}
19	Hilton A. Dickson Jr.	1959	1960	Democrat	<2^{[note 7]}
20	Earl E. Hartley	1961	1964	Democrat	4
21	Boston E. Witt	1965	1968	Democrat	4
22	James A. Maloney	1969	1970	Democrat	2
23	David L. Norvell	1971	1974	Democrat	4
24	Toney Anaya	1975	1978	Democrat	4
25	Jeff Bingaman	1979	1982	Democrat	4
26	Paul G. Bardacke	1983	1986	Democrat	4
27	Harold Stratton	1987	1990	Republican	4
28	Tom Udall	1991	1998	Democrat	8
29	Patricia A. Madrid	1999	2006	Democrat	8
30	Gary King	2007	2014	Democrat	8
31	Hector Balderas	2015	2022	Democrat	8
32	Raúl Torrez	2023	Incumbent	Democrat	1
Source:^[1]