James E. Tierney

James E. Tierney is the former Attorney General of Maine and a Lecturer at Harvard Law School where he teaches a course on the role of state attorneys general while directing the Harvard Attorney General clinic.

For thirteen years Tierney was the Director of the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School, and he has also taught courses at Yale Law School, Boston College Law School, Northeastern Law School and the University of Maine School of Law.

Mr. Tierney served as the Attorney General of Maine from 1980 until 1990. During his ten years as Attorney General of Maine, Mr. Tierney played an active role in the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Mr. Tierney has also served as a Special Prosecutor in Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Vermont and, on behalf of NAAG, has authored an analysis of the operations of state grand jury practice throughout the United States. 

Tierney now travels regularly to visit in offices of attorney general where he conducts ethics seminars for incumbent attorneys general and their staffs. Since 1982 he has instructed newly elected state Attorneys General on the effective performance of their office.

Tierney has served on the Board of both the American Judicature Society and was a member of the Board of Commentators of the Courtroom Television Network. In April of 2006, Professor Tierney was selected as the Columbia Law School Public Interest Professor of the Year. This award, which is given to the faculty member or administrator who has most supported and inspired a significant portion of the public interest law student community, is selected by a vote of students.

Tierney is married to Maine author Elizabeth Strout.  He has five children and eight grandchildren.

On May 19, 2017, Professor Tierney spoke to undergraduates at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Pre-Law Institute in New York City. In these remarks he shared details of his personal family history and as well as his philosophy of government.

Keynote (with Q & A): The Honorable Jim Tierney, former AG of Maine, "An Activist State Attorney General: Role as Innovator, Policymaker, and Agent of Change." Introduced by Lynne Ross, Consultant, Eckert Seamans, Former Executive Director NAAG (National Association of Attorneys General).

StateAG.org

StateAG.org is a legal research and education website that examines and communicates the role and impact of state attorneys general in law and national policy. Elected statewide in forty-three states, state attorneys general are independent state constitutional officers vested with extraordinary prosecutorial discretion. The decisions of a single state attorney general often reverberate nationally and impact citizens across state lines.

Led by Director James E. Tierney, Lecturer-in-Law at Harvard Law School and former Maine Attorney General, the website provides timely information and analysis of the decisions and work of state attorneys general on issues that often escape public attention. Resources include information on particular policy areas, an active blog, Director Tierney's law school syllabus, an AG 101 portal, news articles, audiovisual materials, and links to archived materials at the National State Attorneys General Program website.

Through StateAG.org, Director Tierney works closely with state AG's and their staff throughout the country to build capacity and foster strategic alliances with other government agencies and advocacy organizations in addressing the myriad legal and policy issues facing government actors. Among the initiatives are assisting offices of attorney general in working with diverse communities and linking to other trusted sites such as NAAG, a compendium on attorney general multistate cases, a consumer protection newsletter, the State AG Environmental Action Database in partnership with Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, the AG Tech Forum in partnership with Harvard Berkman Klein Center and a retrospective of the events leading up to the historic 46-state master settlement with the tobacco industry. 

Each initiative produces original research, develops publicly accessible web-resources, and convenes meetings and conferences with the goal of creating a space for open, non-partisan dialogue that will translate into durable coalitions and partnerships. 

National State Attorneys General Program

at Columbia Law School

From 2003-2016, the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School developed into a leading institution for examining the office of state attorney general, both as a sui generis government agency and as an impactful actor in American law and policy. Led by James E. Tierney, the Program worked closely with attorneys general, their staff, students, academics and other members of the legal community in the development and dissemination of legal information relied upon by state law enforcement officials.

Over this period, the National State Attorneys General Program focused its efforts on traditional and emerging policy areas for state attorneys general. These efforts led to many long term, innovative initiatives on various subject matters including, Antitrust, Charities/Nonprofit Oversight and Regulation, Consumer Protection, Environment, Health Care, and Labor. Through these projects, the Program produced original research, developed web-resources, and hosted conferences and summits that led to important breakthroughs in state attorneys general offices across the country. 

As part of its educational mission, the National State Attorneys General Program had the distinct honor of hosting hundreds of former and current state attorneys general at Columbia Law School to discuss a diverse range of issues, including climate change, ethics, the future of state charities regulation, human rights, human trafficking, immigration, and predatory lending. During these visits, attorneys general routinely met with students, faculty, judges and the general public, attended classes, and shared their personal histories in video and podcast interviews with Director James Tierney. 

Thanks to Columbia Law School and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), these invaluable resources will eventually be archived and openly accessible through NAAG’s website. For more information on the National State Attorneys General Program and its history, please click on the button below.