The Attorney General Alliance (AGA) is an alliance of Attorneys Generals (AGs) which promotes cooperation between state and territorial attorneys general. AGs are public officials responsible for representing their jurisdictions in lawsuits, prosecuting certain high-level cases, and advising governors and legislatures. The AGA claims 46 AGs as members or associate members, including those representing American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The alliance started out as the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) – a regional alliance that continues to function in its original member states, while the AGA is responsible for national-level AG coordination. The AGA also has two partner organizations: one made up of legal officials across Africa, and one based in Mexico. ¹

The news aggregator Axios has described the AGA as the competitor to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), a similar organization whose leadership has previously criticized the alliance for allegedly selling access to AGs and accepting large sums from lobbyists and corporations. While a 2022 Axios profile of AGA suggested that the alliance had shifted towards the political right in recent years, the group launched an initiative in 2021 to advance left-of-center race issues. The alliance has partnered with left-of-center pressure groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to develop strategies to target controversial organizations and rhetoric. ^{2 3}

Policy Positions and Initiatives

The Attorney General Alliance has argued that it the responsibility of state AGs to target controversial and allegedly misleading speech, especially on social media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the alliance considered skepticism toward vaccination initiatives a top priority for government investigation. The AGA has facilitated coordination between its member AGs and the management of leading social media corporations, particularly those who have implemented censorship policies on their platforms. ⁴

Other AGA policy initiatives include developing strategies for combating cybercrime, organized retail theft, illegal gambling, and human trafficking. ⁵ It has engaged in an initiative aiding the regulation of cannabis products. ⁶

The Ginsburg/Scalia Initiative, named after the late Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, is promoted as a forum for bipartisan cooperation between state AGs and other legal officials. ⁷ In practice, the initiative has pushed for AGs to use their law enforcement authority to investigate and potentially take measures against controversial political speech. ⁸

The alliance’s “social justice and equity” initiative also promotes investigating and targeting allegedly offensive speech. The AGA has solicited input from the left-wing SPLC and ADL on these issues. ⁹

In addition to its primary work in the United States, the AGA helps run a cooperation program between American state AGs and law enforcement officials in Mexico which aims to combat fraud, piracy, drug trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal activity. ¹⁰ It also runs a similar cooperation program with several African nations. ¹¹

Leadership

Karen White is the executive director of the Attorney General Alliance. As of 2022, she had spent nearly three decades at the alliance and its predecessor group, the Conference of Western Attorneys General, having started out as an intern and later working as the organization’s meeting planner and deputy director. White received a law degree from the University of the Pacific and a law doctorate from Concord University. ¹² White received a salary of more than $350,000 during the 2019 fiscal year. ¹³

David Blake is the general counsel and legal advisor to the AGA and the CWAG. He previously worked at a law firm which represents clients dealing with state AGs. Prior to that, he himself was the chief deputy AG of Colorado, and he also spent 14 years as a lawyer for the Department of Justice. Blake is an adjunct professor at George Mason University, where he received his law doctorate. ¹⁴

Frank Collins is the chief financial officer of the AGA. He is also the director of the alliance’s partnership program in Mexico and oversees the development of training programs for Mexican law enforcement agencies. Previously, he was the legal advisor to the CWAG, where he also worked in cooperation with Mexican authorities, and prior to joining the organization, he worked as a deputy county attorney and assistant state AG in Arizona. In addition to his work as a lawyer, Collins runs a real estate development company. He received his law doctorate from the University of San Diego. ¹⁵

Financials

During the 2019 fiscal year, the Attorney General Alliance received just over $7 million in revenue. This was a noticeable increase from the previous year, when the alliance earned a total of less than 5 million. ¹⁶

1. “Our Mission.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/about/
2. Lachlan Markay. “State AGs’ corporate cash cow.” Axios. June 19, 2022. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.axios.com/2022/06/19/state-attorneys-general-lobbyists
3. “Social Justice & Equity.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/initiatives/social-justice-equity/
4. Phil Weiser. “The Ginsburg/Scalia Initiative.” Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/initiatives/chairs-initiative/
5. “Initiatives.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/initiatives/
6. PR Newswire staff. “Nation’s First Independent Cannabis And Hemp Certification Recognized By Attorneys General Alliance.” Cision. April 25, 2022. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nations-first-independent-cannabis-and-hemp-certification-recognized-by-attorneys-general-alliance-aga-301531796.html
7. “Initiatives.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/initiatives/
8. Phil Weiser. “The Ginsburg/Scalia Initiative.” Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/initiatives/chairs-initiative/
9. “Social Justice & Equity.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/initiatives/social-justice-equity/
10. “Alliance Partnership.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/partnerships/alliance-partnership/
11. Home Page, Attorney General Alliance Africa. Accessed June 27, 2022.  https://www.agaafrica.org/
12. “Our Mission.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/about/
13. “Conference of Western Attorneys General.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/680250561
14. “Our Mission.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/about/
15. “Our Mission.” Attorney General Alliance. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://www.agalliance.org/about/
16. “Conference of Western Attorneys General.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed June 26, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/680250561