Attorney General Stephen J. Cox has appointed Jenna Lorence as Alaska’s first State Solicitor General, a new centralized leadership position created to strengthen the state’s appellate advocacy and ensure consistent, high-quality representation in courts across the country.

Lorence joins the Department of Law from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, where she served as Deputy Solicitor General and represented the state in constitutional litigation and multi-state appellate matters. She previously served as Assistant Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

“Jenna Lorence brings exceptional skill, judgment, and a deep understanding of appellate practice,” Cox stated on Oct. 27. “Her leadership will help amplify Alaska’s voice in the courts, deepen our collaboration with other state allies, and ensure that we continue to defend both the rule of law and the interests of Alaskans.”

Cox also announced that Jessie Alloway and Tamara DeLucia, who currently lead the Civil and Criminal Appellate Sections, will serve as Deputy Solicitors General.

Lorence’s appointment takes effect today. She will begin remotely and relocate to Anchorage later this year.

According to The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, a national group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order, there is a national trend toward larger and increasingly active state solicitor general offices.

In 1987, only eight states had a solicitor general. That number has grown to more than 40 states that now have this position or its equivalent.

“Many states have only recently created an office of the solicitor general, consolidating work that was once performed by multiple divisions of the attorney general,” The Federalist Society noted in 2023. “Where SGs exist, states continue to expand the office’s legal capacity. Offices that once contained a single attorney and paralegal have grown into multifunctional teams of more than a dozen attorneys in some states.”

Typically, a solicitor general may lead the state’s appeals under state law, and lead all federal litigation for the state, the group notes. They may also produce opinions for the state, providing legal recommendations on questions of state law to state officials, and may serve as senior advisors to the attorney general.

“Because states’ legal and political interests frequently align, networks of state SGs have become key coordinators in multistate litigation efforts,” The Federalist Society website explains. “A constant stream of multistate amicus opportunities runs across every SG’s desk, and a variety of state strategies drive participation.”

It adds that the “wake of legal success that follows current state SGs will likely motivate the further spread and expansion of SG offices across the nation.”

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