46-473: The Clark County District Attorney is the elected district attorney of Clark County, Nevada . The current Clark County District Attorney is Steven B. Wolfson. As of 2021, the Clark County District Attorney's Office employs approximately 170 attorneys and over 500 support staff. It is divided into four divisions: criminal, juvenile, family support, and civil. District attorney In
92-570: A qui tam , any U.S. citizen, provided they are represented by an attorney, can represent the interests of the United States, and share in penalties assessed against guilty parties. As chief federal law enforcement officers, U.S. attorneys have authority over all federal law enforcement personnel within their districts and may direct them to engage, cease or assist in investigations. In practice, this has involved command of Federal Bureau of Investigation assets but also includes other agencies under
138-557: A circuit solicitor , is the term South Carolina uses to refers to its prosecutors. One solicitor is elected for each of the state's 16 judicial circuits, consisting of two to five counties. Appointed assistants to a circuit solicitor are assistant solicitors . In St. Louis, Missouri , the title is circuit attorney , while in St. Louis County, Missouri , the title is prosecuting attorney . The assistant district attorney (assistant DA, ADA), or state prosecutor or assistant state's attorney,
184-552: A District Attorney is typically called a " Public Prosecutor ." Public Prosecutors represent the state in criminal cases and are responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of committing crimes. They work under the supervision of the Director of Prosecutions or the Advocate General at the state level, depending on the specific legal framework of the state. United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of
230-531: 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. On the other hand, county attorneys in Kentucky and Virginia prosecute only certain misdemeanors and sometimes traffic matters and serve as legal counsel for their county, with felony prosecutions and prosecutions of offenses not handled by
276-640: A single U.S. attorney serves both districts. Each U.S. attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer within a specified jurisdiction, acting under the guidance of the United States Attorneys' Manual . They supervise district offices with as many as 350 assistant U.S. attorneys (AUSAs) and as many as 350 support personnel. U.S. Attorney's Offices are staffed mainly by assistant U.S. attorneys (AUSA). Often colloquially called "federal prosecutors", assistant U.S. attorneys are government lawyers who act as prosecutors in federal criminal trials and as
322-627: A state appellate prosecutor who in turn will represent the state in appellate courts with the advice and consent of the district attorney. In other cases, such as in New York, the District Attorney's Office will have in-house appellate prosecutors who handle appeals. 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 . In England and Wales ,
368-611: A term of four years, with appointments subject to confirmation by the Senate . A U.S. attorney continues in office, beyond the appointed term, until a successor is appointed and qualified. By law, each United States attorney is subject to removal by the president. The attorney general has had the authority since 1986 to appoint interim U.S. attorneys to fill a vacancy. The governing statute, 28 U.S.C. § 546 provided, up until March 9, 2006: (c) A person appointed as United States attorney under this section may serve until
414-406: Is a law enforcement official by virtue of their job. In Canada , the equivalent position to a district attorney is a crown attorney , crown counsel or crown prosecutor depending on the province, and the equivalent to an assistant district attorney is the assistant crown attorney, assistant crown counsel or assistant crown prosecutor respectively. In India , the equivalent position to
460-692: 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 grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals. Administrative assistant district attorney (admin ADA), executive assistant district attorney (exec ADA), chief assistant district attorney (chief ADA), or first assistant district attorney (First ADA) are some of
506-562: Is both the primary representative and the administrative head of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the district. The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) is the chief prosecutor for the United States in criminal law cases, and represents the United States in civil law cases as either the defendant or plaintiff, as appropriate. However, they are not the only ones that may represent the United States in Court. In certain circumstances, using an action called
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#1732858810011552-495: Is said to represent the people of the jurisdiction in the state's courts , typically in criminal matters, against defendants. With the exception of three states (New Jersey, Connecticut, and Alaska, as well as the District of Columbia), district attorneys are elected, unlike similar roles in other common law jurisdictions. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case against an individual suspected of breaking
598-456: Is used in Connecticut , Florida (state attorney), Illinois , Maryland , North Dakota , South Dakota , and Vermont . In Maryland, the roles of Assistant and Deputy are reversed from those used in "District Attorney" jurisdictions, with Deputy State's Attorney being the primary subordinate to the elected State's Attorney and Assistant State's Attorneys (ASA) being the line-level prosecutors of
644-416: The U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts . Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal criminal prosecutor in their judicial district and represents the U.S. federal government in civil litigation in federal and state court within their geographic jurisdiction. U.S. attorneys must be nominated by
690-464: The United States , a district attorney ( DA ), county attorney , county prosecutor , state's attorney, prosecuting attorney , commonwealth's attorney , or solicitor is the chief prosecutor 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 scope of the office varies by state. Generally, the prosecutor
736-593: The president and confirmed by the Senate , after which they serve four-year terms. Currently, there are 93 U.S. attorneys in 94 district offices located throughout the United States, Puerto Rico , the U.S. Virgin Islands , Guam , and the Northern Mariana Islands . One U.S. attorney is assigned to each of the judicial districts , with the exception of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where
782-577: The Department of Justice, such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Drug Enforcement Administration . Additionally, U.S. attorneys cooperate with other non-DOJ law enforcement agencies – such as the United States Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – to prosecute cases relevant to their jurisdictional areas. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia has
828-531: The Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands has a single U.S. attorney for both districts), including: These responsibilities include certain legal, budgetary, administrative, and personnel services, as well as legal education. The EOUSA was created on April 6, 1953, by Attorney General Order No. 8-53 to provide for close liaison between the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, and the 93 U.S. attorneys located throughout
874-704: The Justice Department's Executive Office for United States Attorneys . Selected U.S. attorneys participate in the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys . The Office of the United States Attorney was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789 , along with the office of Attorney General and United States Marshal . The same act also specified the structure of the Supreme Court of
920-721: The Senate, then the Senate confirmation process was avoided, as the Attorney General-appointed interim U.S. attorney could continue in office without limit or further action. Related to the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy , in March 2007 the Senate and the House voted to re-instate the 120-day term limit on interim attorneys via the Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007. The bill
966-553: The United States and established inferior courts making up the United States Federal Judiciary , including a district court system. Thus, the office of U.S. Attorney is older than the Department of Justice. The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for the appointment in each judicial district of a "Person learned in the law to act as attorney for the United States...whose duty it shall be to prosecute in each district all delinquents for crimes and offenses cognizable under
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#17328588100111012-551: The United States federal government's lawyers in civil litigation in which the United States is a party. In carrying out their duties as prosecutors, AUSAs have the authority to investigate persons, issue subpoenas, file formal criminal charges, plea bargain with defendants, and grant immunity to witnesses and accused criminals. U.S. attorneys and their offices are part of the Department of Justice . U.S. attorneys receive oversight, supervision, and administrative support services through
1058-471: The additional responsibility of prosecuting local criminal cases in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia , the equivalent of a municipal court for the national capital. The Superior Court is a federal Article I court. The Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) provides the administrative support for the 93 United States attorneys (encompassing 94 United States Attorney offices, as
1104-462: The authority of the United States, and all civil actions in which the United States shall be concerned..." Prior to the existence of the Department of Justice, the U.S. attorneys were independent of the attorney general, and did not come under the AG's supervision and authority until 1870, with the creation of the Department of Justice. U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president of the United States for
1150-425: The authority was first vested with the circuit courts in March 1863. Then, in 1898, a House of Representatives report explained that while Congress believed it was important to have the courts appoint an interim U.S. attorney: "There was a problem relying on circuit courts since the circuit justice is not always to be found in the circuit and time is wasted in ascertaining his whereabouts." Therefore, at that time,
1196-500: The boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district. Their duties generally include charging crimes through informations or grand jury indictments. After levying criminal charges, the state's attorney will then prosecute those charged with a crime. This includes conducting discovery , plea bargaining , and trial . In some jurisdictions, the district attorney may act as chief counsel for city police, county police, state police and all state law enforcement agencies within
1242-714: The county attorney being the responsibility of the commonwealth's attorney for the given county. 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, and administration. The name of
1288-539: The county attorney does not handle any criminal matters at all, but serves only as the legal counsel to the county. 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. Minnesota county attorneys also prosecute all juvenile cases, regardless of severity. In Ohio
1334-528: The earlier of— (d) If an appointment expires under subsection (c)(2), the district court for such district may appoint a United States attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled. The order of appointment by the court shall be filed with the clerk of the court. On March 9, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 which amended Section 546 by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting
1380-469: The following new subsection: (c) A person appointed as United States attorney under this section may serve until the qualification of a United States Attorney for such district appointed by the President under section 541 of this title. This, in effect, extinguished the 120-day limit on interim U.S. attorneys, and their appointment had an indefinite term. If the president failed to put forward any nominee to
1426-406: The head of office is called state attorney the staff attorneys are usually referred to as Assistant State Attorney (ASAs ). Most prosecutions will be delegated to the assistant attorneys, with the head-of-office sometimes prosecuting the most important cases and having overall responsibility for the agency and its work. Depending upon the state's law, the head may be appointed by the chief executive of
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1472-449: The interim appointment authority was switched to the district courts; that is, in 1898 it was switched to the district courts. Thus, for almost 100 years, the district courts were in charge of appointing interim U.S. attorneys, and they did so with virtually no problems. This structure was left undisturbed until 1986 when the statute was changed during the Reagan administration. In a bill that
1518-400: The jurisdiction of a United States Attorney . Many district attorneys also bear responsibilities not related to criminal prosecution. These include defending the county against civil suits , occasionally initiating such suits on behalf of the county, preparing or reviewing contracts entered into by the county and providing legal advice and counsel to local government. In some jurisdictions,
1564-740: The jurisdiction or elected by local voters. Most criminal matters in the United States are handled in state judicial systems , but a comparable office for the United States Federal government is the United States Attorney . 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
1610-725: The office. In Virginia, the title is commonwealth's attorney . Kentucky splits the role between two officials—by statute, the commonwealth's attorney serves in the Circuit Court (the court of general jurisdiction), and the county attorney serves in the limited-jurisdiction District Court, although the two officials may enter into a written agreement to split their duties as they see fit. Commonwealth's attorneys are elected in their respective jurisdictions in both Virginia and Kentucky for terms of four years and six years, respectively. Kentucky's county attorneys are elected in their jurisdictions to four-year terms. Solicitor , or more fully
1656-468: The office. Often, a senior ADA may oversee or prosecute some of the larger crimes within the jurisdiction . In some offices, the Exec ADA has the responsibility of hiring lawyers and support staff, as well as supervising press-releases and overseeing the work of the office. The salary of an ADA will be lower than the elected DA. The non-monetary benefits of the job induce many to work as an ADA; these include
1702-488: The opportunity to amass trial experience, perform a public service, and network professionally. Upon leaving employment as an ADA, persons seek employment as a judge, in private law firms, or as U.S. Attorneys . 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
1748-615: 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 Mexico , New York , North Carolina , Oklahoma , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Texas , Utah , and Wisconsin . State's attorney or state attorney
1794-734: The state's criminal law , initiating and directing further criminal investigations, guiding and recommending the sentencing of offenders, and are the only attorneys allowed to participate in grand jury proceedings. The prosecutors decide what criminal charges to bring, and when and where a person will answer to those charges. 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 or state attorney leads an office of other prosecutors and related staff. Staff attorneys are most commonly known as assistant district attorneys (ADAs) or deputy district attorneys (DDAs); in states where
1840-467: The state's attorney's jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, the district attorney oversees the operations of local prosecutors with respect to violations of county ordinances. In other jurisdictions, the district attorney prosecutes traffic matters or misdemeanors. In some states the district attorney prosecutes violations of state laws to the extent that the state permits local prosecution of these. District attorneys do not prosecute federal crimes, which are
1886-449: The title "district attorney" for the most senior prosecutor in a county rather than switch to "county attorney". 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
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1932-458: The titles given to the senior ADA leadership working under the DA. The chief ADA, Executive ADA, or first ADA, depending on the office, is generally considered the second-in-command, and usually reports directly to the DA. The exact roles and job assignments for each title vary with each individual office, but generally include management of the daily activities and supervision of specialized divisions within
1978-762: The vast majority of criminal prosecutions are prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service . The CPS is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions , who is appointed by the Attorney General for England and Wales . Within the CPS, 14 Chief Crown Prosecutors, answering to the DPP, head regional teams of Crown Prosecutors. With the exception of the AG and Solicitor General for England and Wales , no prosecutors are political officials in England and Wales and no prosecutor in England and Wales
2024-508: Was introduced by Senator Strom Thurmond, the statute was changed to give the appointment authority to the Attorney General, but even then it was restricted and the Attorney General had a 120-day time limit. After that time, if a nominee was not confirmed, the district courts would appoint an interim U.S. attorney. The adoption of this language was part of a larger package that was billed as technical amendments to criminal law, and thus there
2070-591: Was no recorded debate in either the House or the Senate and both Chambers passed the bill by voice vote. Then, 20 years later, in March 2006 – again without much debate and again as a part of a larger package – a statutory change was inserted into the PATRIOT Act reauthorization. This time, the Executive's power was expanded even further, giving the Attorney General the authority to appoint an interim replacement indefinitely and without Senate confirmation. The U.S. attorney
2116-519: Was signed by President George W. Bush, and became law in June 2007. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D, California), summarized the history of interim United States Attorney appointments, on March 19, 2007 in the Senate. When first looking into this issue, I found that the statutes had given the courts the authority to appoint an interim U.S. attorney and that this dated back as far as the Civil War. Specifically,
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