Frosh Pledges to Serve as the “People’s Lawyer” New attorney general sworn in by Governor
Baltimore, MD (Jan. 6, 2015) – Brian E. Frosh was installed as the 46th Attorney General of Maryland, pledging to serve as the people’s lawyer and to be an advocate for justice for all Marylanders.
“We will provide sound counsel so that all branches of government operate fairly and effectively,” said Frosh. “We will confront the challenges that a complex and fast-changing world places in our path, and we will be a force for fairness, for equality and for justice.”
Frosh was invested during an afternoon ceremony inside the Maryland State House, with the oath of office administered by Gov. Martin O’Malley.
“From the environment to college affordability to combating gun violence, Brian has taken bold stands on our toughest issues with integrity, virtue and with a profound understanding that we are all in this together,” said Governor O’Malley. “I know he will serve Maryland as Attorney General with the wisdom and integrity that the office demands.”
During his remarks, Frosh praised his immediate predecessors, Douglas F. Gansler, J. Joseph Curran Jr. and Stephen H. Sachs, for their work to advance the state on a variety of social issues, including voting rights, the death penalty and marriage equality.
A longtime advocate for environmental issues, Frosh pledged that polluters would face consequences for contaminating Maryland’s air and water, and that unscrupulous business practices in other areas would not be tolerated.
“We must create a business climate that creative, ambitious enterprises seek out,” he said. “But those who break the rules will be held accountable so that honest businesses will not be at a competitive disadvantage to those who cheat, pollute or deceive.”
The Office of the Attorney General provides counsel to the Governor of Maryland and all state agencies, the Maryland General Assembly and the judicial branch. Its major functions also include consumer protection, civil rights and criminal appeals.
Frosh had been a member of the General Assembly for 28 years prior to being elected Attorney General in November 2014, and was chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee for the last 12 years.
