what are the benefits of having a district attorney who is elected rather than appointed?

What is the role of the district attorney in a case?

Should district attorney be elected or appointed? In most U.S. state and local jurisdictions, prosecutors are elected to office. On the federal level, district attorneys are, in effect, members of the executive branch of the government; they are usually replaced when a new administration comes into office.

What is the difference between a prosecutor and an assistant district attorney?

Aug 08, 2012 · In the case of state court judges, for example, elected judges are far more variable in their sentencing than appointed judges, according to a new study. The study, forthcoming in the American Economic Review, looks at how two kinds of selection systems for state court judges -- appointment by the head of the executive branch and election by ...

What is an assistant district attorney (ADA)?

Jul 01, 2012 · Today, about 90 percent of state judges must run for office, and the elections have become increasingly expensive and nasty. Assistant Professor Jed Handelsman Shugerman provides historical perspective on judicial elections and other methods of judicial selection in his new book, “The People’s Courts: Pursuing Judicial Independence in America” (Harvard, 2012).

Do elected judges differ in their sentencing decisions from appointed judges?

The benefits of having presidents and governors appoint judges for life rather than putting their seats up for election have been debated for centuries and judicial systems still vary from state to state. These debates have come from the fact that there are many good and bad consequences of having appointed judges.

Is the district attorney elected?

Depending upon the state's law, DAs may be appointed by the chief executive of the jurisdiction or elected by local voters.

Why are district attorneys considered to be the most influential player in the criminal justice system?

The DA has immense power in influencing an individual's decision to enter into a plea deal or to take their case to trial. More than 90 percent of all criminal cases end in a plea deal. The district attorney has the power to offer a sentence to the individual charged with a crime.

Who is the most powerful person in court?

But the most powerful official in the criminal justice system who makes the most critical decisions that often lead to unjust results is the prosecutor. The power and discretion of prosecutors cannot be overstated.May 29, 2018

What does district attorney do?

A district attorney is a public official who is appointed or elected to represent the state in criminal judicial proceedings in a particular judicial district or county; an appointed or elected officer who prosecutes cases in a particular judicial district.