Who is the attorney general?

As of 2014, the U.S. Attorney General is Eric H. Holder, Jr. He was sworn in as the 82nd Attorney General on Feb. 3, 2009.

The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the U.S. government and the head of the Department of Justice. The Attorney General represents the nation in general legal matters and gives advice to the president when requested.

The Judiciary Act, signed into law on Sept. 24, 1789, established the position of Attorney General, making it the fourth Cabinet-level position to be established; however, the Department of Justice was not established until 1870, nearly a century later.