who is the attorney general (highest prosecutor) in new york state

by Prof. Joannie Feeney 7 min read

Letitia “Tish” James

Who is New York’s Attorney General?

In New York, Attorney General as Special Prosecutor. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order appointing the state Attorney General’s Office as special prosecutor in certain cases. Lauren-Brooke Eisen. July 17, 2015. Follow­ing contro­ver­sial grand jury decisions in the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New …

Who is the highest paid state Attorney General in the US?

About the Attorney General. Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of work, she is an experienced attorney and public servant with a long record of accomplishments. She is the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General.

How long is the term for New York attorney general?

Aug 03, 2021 · Aug 3 (Reuters) - For her five-month probe of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, state Attorney General Letitia James tapped a former top federal prosecutor at one of Manhattan's white-shoe law firms ...

Where is the district attorney's office in New York City?

Aug 03, 2021 · Aug. 3, 2021, at 5:06 p.m. New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks next to independent investigators Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark during a news conference regarding a probe that...

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Who does the NY Attorney General report to?

The attorney general advises the executive branch of state government and defends actions and proceedings on behalf of the state. The attorney general acts independently of the governor of New York.

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 many attorney generals are there in New York?

New York Former Attorneys General
Barbara Underwood (Acting)2018
Eric Schneiderman2011 – 2018
Andrew M. Cuomo2007 – 2010
Eliot Spitzer1999 – 2006
Dennis Vacco1995 – 1998
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Can the NY Attorney General bring criminal charges?

For example, the Attorney General has independent criminal jurisdiction to prosecute fraud in the sale of securities, bid-rigging, and violations of the New York State Labor Laws dealing with the amount that workers must be paid. In other instances, the Attorney General's jurisdiction arises under Executive Law §63.

Who is the most powerful person in the courtroom?

the prosecutor
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

Who is the DA of New York City?

Alvin Bragg
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.
...
New York County District Attorney.
District Attorney of New York County
Incumbent Alvin Bragg since January 1, 2022
Formation1801
First holderRichard Riker
WebsiteManhattanDA.org
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Who is the current Manhattan district attorney?

Alvin Bragg
Alvin Bragg is the 37th District Attorney elected in Manhattan. Alvin – a lifelong Manhattanite who served as a state and federal prosecutor – has spent more than two decades fighting to make our communities safer and our criminal justice system fairer.

How many assistant attorney generals does NY have?

650 Assistant Attorneys General
Over 650 Assistant Attorneys General and over 1,700 employees, including forensic accountants, legal assistants, scientists, investigators and support staff serve in the Office of the Attorney General in many locations across New York State.

Who is NYS assistant Attorney General?

Christopher Conant - Assistant Attorney General - Office of the New York State Attorney General | LinkedIn.

Who is the Attorney General of the Netherlands?

The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New Netherlands. Democrat Letitia James currently serves as Attorney General, in office since January 1, 2019.

What does the Attorney General do?

The Attorney General advises the executive branch of state government and defends actions and proceedings on behalf of the state. The Attorney General acts independently of the Governor of New York. The department's regulations are compiled in title 13 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR).

How much did the Attorney General of New York make?

In 1693, the Attorney General earned a salary of 50 pounds.

Who appointed Eric Garner as a prosecutor?

Following controversial grand jury decisions in the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order last week appointing the New York State Attorney General’s Office as a special prosecutor in cases involving unarmed civilians killed by police officers. Under the executive order, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman can also review cases where it's unclear if a civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of death. The order will be in effect for one year.

What was the legislative session in 2015?

The 2015 legislative session in Albany was marked by state legislators debating various ideas from requiring prosecutors to publicly disclose what charges they are asking grand juries to consider to compelling prosecutors to release the details of grand jury deliberations.

Who is the Chief Judge of New York?

New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman proposed an increased role for judges to oversee the grand jury process in these types of cases. State legislators ultimately failed to reach an agreement about how to improve the grand jury process or whether to create a statewide independent prosecutor.

Why did Schneiderman lobby Cuomo?

Because of the close working relationship between the county district attorneys and local police officers, Schneiderman had been lobbying Gov. Cuomo to give his office the power to independently investigate these cases.

Which state has the authority to supersede all district attorneys by executive?

New York State is currently the only state to have given its Attorney General the authority to supersede all district attorneys by executive when it comes to prosecuting cases where police kill unarmed civilians.

When did Wisconsin pass the outside review law?

Wisconsin also passed a law in April of 2014 for mandatory outside reviews of police killings. While states have begun to debate structural changes to the way local prosecutors handle these types of cases, most of the legislation introduced in the wake of these high profile killings did not pass.

What is Cuomo's order?

Some view Cuomo’s order as a gesture to the community that the criminal justice system in New York will take steps to hold police officers accountable. While a nod to communities of color, this is merely one step toward ensuring that our judicial and legal systems treat all Americans equally.

What is a D.A. in New York?

The District Attorney (or "D.A.") is the prosecuting attorney representing the state within their respective district. New York State has a D.A. for each of its 62 counties. A criminal case begins when the D.A. has either filed charges on their own or a grand jury has made the decision to indict a given suspect.

How many counties does New York have?

New York State has one District Attorney for each of its 62 counties, in addition to a D.A. for each of New York City's five boroughs. To learn more about your local prosecutor's office or to get in touch with their office, click on the corresponding link below.

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