District attorney

District attorneys of the United States are appointed for a term of four years in each judicial district, whose duty it is to prosecute, in such district, all delinquents, for crimes and offences cognizable under the authority of the United States, and all civil actions in which the United States shall be concerned, except in the supreme court, in the district in which the court shall be holden. R. S. § 767. He must appear upon the record for the United record; U. S. v. Doughty, 7 Blatch. 424, Fed. Cas. No. 14,986; U. S. v. Blaisdell, 3 Ben. 132, Fed. Cas. No. 14,608; U. S. v. Mc Avoy, 4 Blatch. 418, Fed. Cas. No. 15,654. They are under the direction of the attorney-general and must report to him. The officer who represents the state in criminal proceedings within a particular county is also, in some of the states, called district attorney. As a prosecuting attorney he is a quasi judicial officer and stands indifferent between the accused and any private interest; People v. Bemis, 51 Mich. 422, 16 N. W. 794. See Prosecution; Prosecutor.

The prosecuting officer of the United States government in each of the federal judicial districts. Also, under the state governments, the prosecuting officer who represents the state in each of its judicial districts. In some states, where the territory is divided, for judicial purposes, into sections called by some other name than "districts," the same officer is denominated "county attorney" or "state's attorney." Smith v. Scranton. 3 C. P. Rep. (Pat) 84; State v. Salge, 2 Nev. 324.

Defined under District in Black's Law Dictionary.