Attorney general is the chief law officer in the governments of English-speaking countries. In the United States, the attorney general is appointed by the President, with the approval of the Senate, and serves in the Cabinet. The attorney general heads the Department of Justice and represents the government in legal matters (see Justice, Department of). The responsibilities of this office include enforcing federal laws, particularly criminal statutes. Each U.S. state government has an attorney general. This official is elected by the voters in 43 states, and selected by other methods in the remaining 7. In Canada, the minister of justice may also be called the attorney general. A member of the majority party in Parliament is chosen for this post by the prime minister and appointed by the governor general.