William H. Sorrell is the current attorney general

State Attorney General

The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...

 of the U.S. state of Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Originally appointed by Governor Howard Dean

Howard Dean

Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...

 in 1997, he has won re-election seven times since then in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. Sorrell was born and resides in Burlington, Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....

.

Sorrell received his AB

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

, magna cum laude, in 1970 from the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

, then earned his Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Cornell Law School

Cornell Law School

Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...

 in 1974. He was Chittenden County

Chittenden County, Vermont

Chittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 156,545. Its shire town is Burlington. Chittenden is the most populous county in the state, with more than twice as many residents as Vermont's second-most populous county, Rutland.Chittenden County...

 Deputy State’s Attorney in 1975-1977, then Chittenden County State’s Attorney from 1977-78. After working in private law practice at McNeil, Murray & Sorrell from 1978–1989, he returned to being State's Attorney from 1989–1992, then served as Vermont’s Secretary of Administration from 1992-1997 until his appointment as Vermont Attorney General.

Sorrell headed the National Association of Attorneys General

National Association of Attorneys General

The National Association of Attorneys General is an organization of 56 state and territorial attorneys general in the United States...

 in 2004/05. He was a named party in Randall v. Sorrell

Randall v. Sorrell

Randall v. Sorrell, 548 U.S. 230 , is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States involving a Vermont law which placed a cap on financial donations made to politicians. The court ruled that Vermont's law, the strictest in the nation, unconstitutionally hindered the citizens' First...

, a 2006 Supreme Court case challenging Vermont's campaign finance

Campaign finance

Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...

 laws.

Education

• J.D.
  Juris Doctor
  Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
  
  , Cornell Law School
  Cornell Law School
  Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
  
  , 1974
• Bachelor's degree, University of Notre Dame
  University of Notre Dame
  The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
  
  , 1970

External links

• Office of the Attorney General - Attorney General William H. Sorrell official VT website
• NAAG - Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell (D) profile
• Follow the Money - William H. Sorrell
  • 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - William H. Sorrell (IL) profile
• Bill Sorrell for Vermont Attorney General official campaign website