Attorney General Jeremiah (Jay) Nixon
Jay Nixon is serving his fourth term as Attorney General of Missouri. He was first elected Attorney General on Nov. 3, 1992, on a platform of fighting crime, cleaning up government corruption, and protecting consumers and the environment. Nixon is Missouri's 40th Attorney General.
As Attorney General, Nixon serves as the state's chief legal officer, working with law enforcement daily to fight crime and prosecute criminals. He has been a leader nationally in changing laws to reduce the number of repetitive appeals in capital cases.
During his first term in office, General Nixon successfully cleaned up the state's Second Injury Fund, saving the state more than $13 million in legal fees and eliminating the Second Injury Fund tax for several years, saving taxpayers an additional $100 million. Nixon introduced new aggressive defenses to frivolous inmate lawsuits and has reduced the lawsuits by almost 90 percent at a savings to the state of $19 million in legal fees.
As Attorney General, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Division to enforce Missouri's environmental laws. Successful litigation by the division has resulted in the cleanup of polluted sites and millions of dollars awarded to the state. Nixon serves as the co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Environment Committee.
General Nixon's landmark victory in the U.S. Supreme Court in Nixon v. Shrink reinstated Missouri's campaign contribution limits and cleared the way nationally for campaign finance reform. In another significant case, Nixon's work on the settlement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield resulted in the formation of the Missouri Foundation for Health, the state's largest health care foundation, to help provide health care services to underserved areas of the state. In addition, Nixon sued tobacco companies for illegally marketing cigarettes to young people. The litigation resulted in the largest settlement in the history of the state.
Nixon has been a national leader in fighting crime on the Internet. He obtained the first criminal conviction in the country of an Internet gaming Web site operator and has obtained guilty pleas from those who have defrauded Missourians through Internet scams. Nixon has worked with other Attorneys General and local law enforcement to stop child porn trafficking and other crimes on the Internet.
As Attorney General, Nixon obtained $17 million for Missourians in 1998-2000 from companies and individuals accused of fraudulent activities, including $7.2 million returned to consumers by the Consumer Protection Division through out-of-court mediation. Nixon's actions against fraudulent telemarketing and sweepstakes companies that prey on the elderly have put telemarketers in prison and sweepstakes companies out of business.
General Nixon’s aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office have earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine named him as one of the 20 outstanding young lawyers in the nation, and the Missouri Jaycees selected him as one of Ten Outstanding Young Missourians.
Before becoming Attorney General, Nixon served as a state senator for six years where he was recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri for his environmental work.
General Nixon is a native of Jefferson County, Missouri. He earned his political science and law degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1978 and 1981. He was in private practice when he was elected to the Senate in 1986. General Nixon is married to Georganne Wheeler Nixon; they have two children, Jeremiah and Will.
