WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) -- Members of the D.C. Council voted this week to hold off on next year's scheduled election for attorney general.
According to The Washington Post, the council voted 8-5 Wednesday to delay the election until 2018.
The District of Columbia's Democratic primary was set for April 2014.
According to a Post report earlier this week, council members -- which voted in 2010 to authorize a referendum on an elected attorney general in the District -- were considering a delay.
Some members even mentioned shelving the election indefinitely, citing unresolved differences over the elected attorney general's role.
In 2010, a majority of voters favored the District's Home Rule Charter be amended to allow the election of an attorney general.
Currently, the District's attorney general is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.
The Attorney General's Office was set to become fully independent of mayoral control in 2015.
But there has been much disagreement lately over the elected attorney general's powers and responsibilities.
Mayor Vincent Gray and his appointed attorney general, Irvin Nathan, support legislation -- which would help effectuate the change in the office -- that would remove half of the lawyers from the elected attorney general's supervision and have them report directly to the mayor.
But others, including some council members, argue doing so will defeat the purpose of having an independent, elected attorney general.
On top of that, no one has expressed interest in running for the office -- not even Nathan.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.