District Attorney

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the United States, the District Attorney (abbreviation DA) is the prosecutor who enforces the criminal laws of a state at the local level.

Where a criminal offense is charged in court not by a citizen (private or business person) but by an authority (e.g. police, customs, constitution protection, cartel office, environmental authority, youth authority), the state (e.g. District, County, State, City) the prosecutor. The district attorney acts as his (permanently employed) legal representative. Depending on the state, there are different names for this office, for example State's Attorney , County Attorney , County Prosecutor . Usually a district attorney is responsible for one county at a time .

The district attorney is responsible for prosecuting criminal offenses that are governed by state law in their respective districts. Because criminal justice in the United States is primarily a matter of state, the district attorneys practice most criminal cases. District Attorneys are popularly elected in 47 states and appointed in Alaska , Connecticut , New Jersey, and the District of Columbia .

Assistant District Attorneys support the District Attorney. Some district attorneys also have their own investigative unit with enforcement powers, which are called County Detectives or District Attorney Investigators , depending on the state , and are usually responsible for investigating particularly serious crimes.

The United States criminal system also includes the United States Attorney , who is responsible for enforcing federal law at the local level. One is appointed by the President of the United States with the approval of the Senate for a term of four years.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Coppolo, States that Elect Their Chief Prosecutors. In: CGA.cga.ct.gov , 2003.
  2. ↑ Chester County, District Attorney, County Detectives , Chester County's official website, accessed May 12, 2018.
  3. ↑ San Diego District Attorney, Bureau of Investigation, District Attorney Investigator Jobs , official website of the San Diego District Attorney, accessed May 12, 2018.