In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties.
A lawyer who represents the state in local criminal cases is usually referred to as the "District Attorney," although, depending on your state, these attorneys can go by other titles such as "Prosecuting Attorney" or "County Attorney." The Attorney General of a state typically represents the state in civil cases, but ...
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AnswerAre county district attorneys appointed or elected?
The local -or state- district attorney is an elected office, like the mayor or city council. The public (voters) votes them in -or out- of office just like any other elected office. Only a handful of states have appointed local district attorneys.
Who would prosecute a district attorney?
The deputy who serves as the supervisor of the office is often called the assistant district attorney. Most prosecutions will be delegated to DDAs, with the district attorney prosecuting the most important cases and having overall responsibility for their agency and its work.
Is the prosecutor and the district attorney the same person?
Prosecutors include district attorneys and assistant district attorneys, city attorneys, attorney generals and assistant attorneys general, etc... Any lawyer who prosecutes someone is a prosecutor. District attorney is a specific prosecutor, usually one person from a local jurisdiction that is elected. Most cities have a District Attorney.
Who oversees a Texas County district attorney?
District attorneys are generally elected. Therefore they are supervised the way any other elected official is supervised, that is by the people who elected them through the process of electing a replacement.
Is the DA and the prosecutor the same thing?
A district attorney is also referred to as a public prosecutor, state's attorney, or prosecuting attorney. The analogous position in the federal system is a United States Attorney.
Are district attorneys state or local?
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties.
What is the opposite of a district attorney?
defense attorneyA prosecutor is a lawyer who works for a state or government organization and is responsible for starting legal proceedings and then proving in court that the suspect committed the crime he's accused of. The opposite of a prosecutor is a defense attorney.
Do all counties in Texas have a district attorney?
Note: Some counties do not have both a County Attorney and a District Attorney. These counties have either a Criminal District Attorney or a combination County and District Attorney. In these counties, one office performs the functions of both the County Attorney and the District Attorney.
Who is above the district attorney?
In practice, district attorneys, who prosecute the bulk of criminal cases in the United States, answer to no one. The state attorney general is the highest law enforcement officer in state government and often has the power to review complaints about unethical and illegal conduct on the part of district attorneys.
How powerful is a district attorney?
District attorneys have the power to choose which charges are filed against an individual accused of a crime. When the police arrest someone, the district attorney's office has the power to prosecute those cases, divert the accused to a program or drug treatment, or dismiss the case altogether.
Which is higher lawyer or prosecutor?
A prosecutor and a defense attorney are both lawyers who have completed law school and passed the bar examination. However, a defense attorney defends the individual that a prosecutor is trying to convince the jury is guilty.
How are district attorneys selected?
District attorneys are either elected by the local constituents they represent or appointed by the chief executive of the jurisdiction. Except for the District of Columbia and three states—Connecticut, New Jersey, and Alaska—other 47 states across the country elect their District Attorneys.
What's the difference between attorney and lawyer?
Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.
What is a county attorney in Texas?
A county attorney in Texas has the following duties: Represents the state in prosecuting misdemeanor criminal cases. Works with law enforcement officers in the investigation of criminal cases. Provides legal advice to the Commissioners Court and to other elected officials.
Are Texas county attorneys elected?
County attorney is an elected position in the state of Texas according to the state's constitution.
Is Texas district attorney elected?
District attorney is an elected position in the state of Texas according to the state's constitution.
What is a district attorney?
In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.
What is the jurisdiction of a district attorney?
The geographical jurisdiction of a district attorney may be delineated by the boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district. Their duties generally include charging crimes through informations and/or grand jury indictments.
What is a prosecutor district?
This term for a prosecutor originates with the traditional use of the term "district" for multi-county prosecutorial jurisdictions in several U.S. states. For example, New York appointed prosecutors to multi-county districts prior to 1813.
What does a county attorney do?
For example, in Arizona, Missouri, Montana, and Minnesota a county attorney represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all felonies occurring within the county, and prosecutes misdemeanors occurring within unincorporated areas of the county.
What is a county prosecutor in Ohio?
In Ohio a county prosecutor represents the county and state within their county, prosecutes all crimes within the county, and is legal adviser to the board of county commissioners, board of elections, and all other county officers and boards.
What is the role of a prosecutor?
In carrying out their duties, prosecutors have the authority to investigate persons, grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals, and plea bargain with defendants. A district attorney leads a staff of prosecutors, who are most commonly known as deputy district attorneys (DDAs).
What is a DA?
In the United States, a district attorney ( DA ), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state.
What is the difference between a city attorney and a district attorney?
The City Attorney has the main person. They have an assistant. They have a bunch of Deputies. They have supervising City Attorneys in each of the branches of the courthouses. The District Attorney is like a business. They have a head District Attorney and they have multiple Assistant heads. They’ve got office heads.
Where is the District Attorney's office in Los Angeles?
There’s one main District Attorney’s office which is in downtown Los Angeles actually in the criminal court building at 210 West Temple. The City Attorney’s office has their own offices as well. They’re in most of the courthouses. There are a few examples of courthouses where there’s only District Attorneys and they prosecute both felonies ...
Who prosecutes felonies?
But in most of the courthouses, there’s both City Attorneys and District Attorneys, and again, the District Attorneys are usually prosecuting the felonies – the more serious cases, and the City Attorneys are usually prosecuting the misdemeanors – or the more community-based offenses. So, there’s a head City Attorney.
Do city and district attorneys work together?
Sometimes they have to work together. Sometimes the City Attorneys and District Attorneys have to deal with a case where both a felony and a misdemeanor are filed. Sometimes somebody will be on misdemeanor probation and commit a felony, and then the City Attorney comes in and give their position on how they’re going to deal with their probation violation, for example, so it has to be coordinated between the defense attorney and also the District Attorney. So, a lot of times the City Attorney and District Attorney will work side-by-side on certain cases in certain situations.
What is a district attorney?
District Attorneys. A lawyer who represents the state in local criminal cases is usually referred to as the "District Attorney," although, depending on your state, these attorneys can go by other titles such as "Prosecuting Attorney" or "County Attorney.". The Attorney General of a state typically represents the state in civil cases, ...
What does the Attorney General do?
The Attorney General of a state typically represents the state in civil cases, but in some states the Attorney General prosecutes all criminal cases. District Attorneys play a major role in investigating and prosecuting cases which is why it's important to learn more about the District Attorneys in your state.
Crimes Prosecuted by the District Attorney
The Denver District Attorney’s office prosecutes petty offenses, misdemeanors and felonies defined by state criminal law occurring within the City and County of Denver.
Crimes Prosecuted by the City Attorney
The City Attorney prosecutes violations of city municipal ordinances (city laws) and regulatory codes created by the City of Denver; examples include defacing property, petty theft, shoplifting, resistance, interference of a peace officer, curfew, assault, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, trespass, open container, being in the park after hours, and non-alcohol traffic violations..
Case Number Tip
One way to determine which office is handling a particular case is to look at the case number.
What is a district attorney?
A district attorney typically works for a county or state government and acts as the prosecutor in criminal cases. Each state maintains a justice department responsible for criminal prosecutions. Cities, towns and counties also maintain justice departments responsible for prosecuting crimes against local and state ordinances.
Requirements for a district attorney
Here are the requirements that aspiring district attorneys need to fulfill before finding work in the field:
Top skills for district attorney
Here are the top skills that a district attorney typically needs to succeed:
Work environment for district attorneys
While much of a district attorney's job can take place in a legal office, they can also work in other locations like libraries and courtrooms.
Salary and job outlook for district attorneys
The national average salary for attorneys in the United States, including district attorneys, is currently $94,578 per year, which is a very competitive salary. However, the compensation that a district attorney receives can vary depending on their education level, experience and skills obtained throughout their career.
Alabama
District attorneys in Alabama are assigned by circuit. There are 41 circuits in the state.
Alaska
District attorneys in Alaska are based on the locations of district courts. Some districts share district attorneys, however. Alaskan district attorneys are appointed by the Attorney General .
Arizona
Each county in Arizona has its own prosecutor, called a county attorney.
Arkansas
District attorneys are assigned to Arkansas's 23 judicial circuits. Arkansas's prosecutors are known as Prosecuting Attorneys. Their elections are non-partisan.
California
Each county in California has its own prosecutor, known as a district attorney. Their elections are non-partisan.
Colorado
District attorneys are assigned to each of Colorado's 22 judicial districts .
Connecticut
Prosecutors in Connecticut are known as state's attorneys. Each judicial district is assigned its own state's attorney. They are appointed by a state commission.
Overview
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state. Alternative titles for the office include county attorney, solicitor, or county prosecutor.
History
This term for a prosecutor originates with the traditional use of the term "district" for multi-county prosecutorial jurisdictions in several U.S. states. For example, New York appointed prosecutors to multi-county districts prior to 1813. Even after those states broke up such districts and started appointing or electing prosecutors for individual counties, they continued to use the title "district attorney" for the most senior prosecutor in a county rather than switch to "county attorney".
Role
The principal duties of the district attorney are usually mandated by law and include representing the State in all criminal trials for crimes which occurred in the district attorney's geographical jurisdiction. The geographical jurisdiction of a district attorney may be delineated by the boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district.
Their duties generally include charging crimes through informations and/or grand jury indictments. After levying c…
Departments
The district attorney usually divides their services into several departments that handle different areas of criminal law. Each department is staffed by several duly appointed and sworn ASAs. The departments of a large district attorney's office may include but are not limited to: felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence, traffic, juvenile, charging (or case filing), drug prosecution, forfeitures, civil affairs such as eminent domain, child advocacy, child support, victim assistance, appeals, career criminal prosecution, homicide, investigations, organized crime/gang, …
Nomenclature
The name of the role of local prosecutor may vary by state or jurisdiction based on whether they serve a county or a multi-county district, the responsibility to represent the state or county in addition to prosecution, or local historical customs.
District attorney and assistant district attorney are the most common titles for state prosecutors, and are used by jurisdictions within the United States including California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Carolina
Assistant district attorney
The assistant district attorney (assistant DA, ADA) (or state prosecutor or assistant state's attorney) is a law enforcement official who represents the state government on behalf of the district attorney in investigating and prosecuting individuals alleged to have committed a crime. In carrying out their duties to enforce state and local laws, ADA have the authority to investigate persons, issue subpoenas, file formal criminal charges, plea bargain with defendants, and gran…
Appeals
Depending on state law, appeals are moved to appellate courts (also called appeals courts, courts of appeals, superior courts, or supreme courts in some states). During the appeals process district attorneys, in many cases, hands all relative prosecutorial materials to a state appellate prosecutor who in turn will represent the state in appellate courts with the advice and consent of the district attorney.
District attorney investigators
Some district attorneys maintain their own law enforcement arm whose members are sworn peace officers. Depending on the jurisdiction, they are referred to as district attorney investigators or county detectives.
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