Just two days after his reelection, Gov. Josh Green has his first job opening — for the state’s chief legal officer.

Anne Lopez confirmed Thursday that her last day as AG will end at noon Dec. 7, which is also the date and time that her boss, Green, will be officially sworn in.

On Thursday night, the AG’s office released an email that Lopez had sent her staff Wednesday, which her office had not previously made public.

“I was informed today that the Governor has decided to not appoint me to a second term,” Lopez said in her email. “While I always knew that this was a possibility, I was always hoping it would not come to pass.” 

In his own statement, Green thanked Lopez “for her service to Hawai’i and her work on behalf of its people.”

Hawaiʻi News Now had previously reported on Wednesday the email, detailing that the governor had effectively decided not to renew her contract.

Several sources granted anonymity to discuss the departure said Green had long been disappointed with the AG’s tenure, especially the handling of the Sylvia Luke case.

In late July, a grand jury indicted Luke, the lieutenant governor, and four others in a high-profile corruption case.

Green had publicly expressed frustration at the slowness of the case.

Just three months earlier, he told HNN’s “Spotlight Now,” “I am frustrated by the lack of clarity that we have on this investigation. I think it’s simply not fair to have this drag out any longer.”

Another source cited frustration with Lopez’s handling of more routine legal issues, a pattern that made it more difficult for the administration to move forward with some of its major policy plans.

One specific issue that stood out was an Attorney General’s opinion that pre-dated Lopez’s tenure that concluded an amendment to the state constitution was required before the state could issue what are called “resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity” bonds. That is a financing system used in 48 other states.

The governor and others in the administration had hoped Lopez would provide a fresh interpretation of the facts surrounding the opinion but Lopez declined. The state then had to put a question on the general election ballot to ask the voters to clarify that the bonds can be issued in Hawaiʻi.

Another issue that raised concern within the administration was the performance of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. That unit within the AG’s office was criticized by Vice President J.D. Vance earlier this year because it had no criminal convictions for fraud in four years.

Lopez defended the performance of the unit, pointing to $14 million in settlements the unit had secured. But federal Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General T. March Bell announced he would not recertify the fraud unit.

Green cannot actually fire his AG, as the Hawaiʻi Constitution reserves that authority for the state Senate. But the governor has the authority to effectively not renew that person’s contract.

The administration is expected to formally announce several other changes in staff before the inauguration.

For her part, Lopez said in her statement, “I have truly loved this work and am incredibly proud of our attorneys, investigators and staff. It has been a privilege to work alongside them and this administration. I wish Governor Green, the department and its dedicated employees continued success in the important work ahead for Hawaiʻi.”

Green appointed Lopez in December 2022. She had served as vice president and general counsel for the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, and attended San Jose University before earning a law degree from the University of Hawaiʻi. She was also a special assistant to former Hawaiʻi AG David Louie.

“She brings executive managerial experience to the department and crucial understanding of government affairs,: according to a press release at the time. “She is prepared to take on the legal challenges facing the state and provide effective leadership to the Department of the Attorney General.”