who does a district attorney report to

by Carey Schumm Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago 8 min read

Remember, they report to YOU! The Power to Choose. The public has the power to choose the district attorney in their county and to communicate what values they want to see reflected in that office.

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

Full Answer

What is a district attorney office?

Feb 08, 2012 ·

What is district attorney in Texas?

Who is the district attorney in LA County?

Jul 05, 2012 · Who does a District Attorney answer to? How/where does someone report corruption? If there are several reports and rumors of blatant malfeasance and non-feasance in a particular Oregon county's District Attorney office, who should it be reported to?

Who is the district attorney of the United States?

A district attorney is the most powerful person in Oregon’s criminal justice system. A district attorney, or DA, is the top elected prosecutor in each county. Oregon, which has 36 counties, has 36 elected district attorneys. In larger counties, the DA …

1 attorney answer

This is less a legal question than a political one.

Jay Bodzin

This is less a legal question than a political one.

Why are district attorneys important?

District attorneys are powerful because they make big decisions about people’s lives. They control the fate of the Oregonians in the criminal justice system; and they influence what happens to those people’s families and their communities. And organization and agencies rarely look over their shoulder or check their work.

What is the power of the state legislature?

The state legislature has power to regulate the conduct of prosecutors, and it has. However, most of the rules are narrowly focused. For example, the legislature has a rule requiring the prosecutor to turn over certain evidence to the defense team.

Who is Cynthia Jones?

Cynthia Jones, an expert on criminal law and procedure, who also teaches at American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., says, “The role of a prosecutor is due justice. Prosecuting people who have committed crimes; and, advocating on behalf of victims.

What is a local district attorney?

1. 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.

What is the role of a district attorney in Massachusetts?

District Attorneys are among the most powerful people in the criminal legal system in Massachusetts, and play a major role in determining the way criminal cases are initiated and ultimately resolved. They wield a substantial amount of power throughout the judicial process – from charging decisions to sentencing recommendations.

What is civil forfeiture?

Civil asset forfeiture is a way for prosecutors to seize property and money that law enforcement officers believe is connected to criminal activity. Here in Massachusetts, our standard for taking that money is very low, and the burden is on the owner of the property to prove it is not connected to criminal activity.

What is the Manhattan District Attorney?

The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ( federal law violations in Manhattan are prosecuted by the U.S.

When did the Bronx become a separate county?

On January 1, 1914 , the Bronx became a separate county with its own district attorney. Until 1822, the district attorney was appointed by the Council of Appointment, and held the office "during the Council's pleasure", meaning that there was no defined term of office.

Overview

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, is…

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 informationsand/or grand jury indictment…

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…

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, Delaware, Georgia, Mas…

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.