BOSTON (Legal Newsline) -- Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen was elected president of the National Association of Attorneys General during its annual summer meeting, held in Boston this week.
According to NAAG, Van Hollen's year-long presidential initiative will focus on "America's Promise -- Keeping Our Kids Safe."
"I am honored that my peers, attorneys general from around the country, have chosen me for this role," Van Hollen said in a statement Thursday.
"NAAG serves an important and unique role, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to serve the people of our states, at both the state and national levels."
Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler concluded his 2012-13 NAAG presidential term Wednesday by acknowledging the discussions and work done on his own initiative, "Privacy in the Digital Age."
"It's been a privilege to serve the state attorneys general whose bipartisan teamwork has elevated and addressed so many pressing public concerns, among them the numerous threats to individual privacy posed by the digital age," he told his colleagues.
"Attorney General Van Hollen's energy and advocacy within NAAG and on behalf of his constituents will accelerate the progress we've made in service to the public."
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood was elected president-elect, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley was elected vice president, and Gansler became immediate past president for the 2013-14 term.
NAAG elects its officers yearly, through geographical rotation by region.
Election of the four officers -- president, president-elect, vice president and immediate past president -- always takes place at its summer meeting.
Also Wednesday, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper was named the recipient of the Kelley-Wyman Award.
The award is NAAG's most prestigious, given annually to the attorney general who has done the most to achieve the association's objectives.
NAAG met Monday through Wednesday to discuss a variety of legal issues, including U.S. Supreme Court cases and recent decisions, online intellectual property crimes, tobacco policy and enforcement, and veterans' issues.
The 36 state and territorial attorneys general also discussed the Communications Decency Act's Safe Harbor provision and the Boston Marathon bombings and response.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.