What is the difference between the DA and the attorney general?
Asked by: Prof. Abagail Schroeder | Last update: December 14, 2025Score: 5/5 (73 votes)
District attorneys only have jurisdiciton over a specific area in the state. In contrast, attorney generals represent the entire state.
Who is above the US Attorney General?
The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet.
What is the difference between a DA and a US attorney?
District attorneys do not prosecute federal crimes, which are the jurisdiction of a United States Attorney. Many district attorneys also bear responsibilities not related to criminal prosecution.
Is the DA and prosecutor the same person?
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser. The District Attorney (DA), also known as a prosecutor, plays a critical role in our criminal justice system.
How high ranking is the Attorney General?
The attorney general is also a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States and a member of the United States National Security Council. Additionally, the attorney general is seventh in the presidential line of succession.
What Does the District Attorney Do?
Do you need a law degree to be attorney general?
By tradition, persons appointed to the position of Attorney-General have been lawyers. Only two former attorneys-general have not been lawyers, most recently Dr Michael Cullen who held the post in 2005, and again from 2006.
Why is the attorney general so powerful?
The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested. In matters of exceptional gravity or importance the Attorney General appears in person before the Supreme Court.
Does the DA have authority over the police?
Investigation of Law Enforcement
A DA has the power to investigate allegations of law enforcement misconduct and ultimately bring charges. A DA also has the power to ask a special prosecutor or another agency to investigate law enforcement misconduct.
What is the difference between the state attorney general and the DA?
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.
Who is more powerful, U.S. Attorney or attorney general?
United States Attorneys serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General of the United States of America.
Can you be a DA without being a lawyer?
No, most if not all DAs are required to pass the Bar Exam of their state first. Then, if it is an electorate position (typically so), you would need to be duly elected. You can be an assistant DA, again, if you pass the Bar Exam, and meet the minimum requirements of that jurisdiction's job requirements.
Who has the most power in the criminal justice system?
For someone arrested for a criminal offense, prosecutors are arguably the most powerful figures in the legal system. Prosecutors decide what, if anything, to charge—a decision that can be life-altering before and after a conviction.
Who is higher than the FBI?
Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.
Can the president remove the attorney general?
U.S. Attorneys are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Like other presidential appointees, they can be removed by the President for any reason or for no reason, as long as it is not an illegal or improper reason.
What's below the Attorney General?
Office of the Deputy Attorney General
This Office advises and assists the Attorney General in formulating and implementing Departmental policies and programs and in providing overall supervision and direction to all organizational units of the Department.
Who is currently in charge of the defense department?
The current acting secretary of defense is Mr. Robert G. Salesses, Deputy Director of the Washington Headquarters Services. A retired Marines Corps officer, Salesses began his federal career after the September 11 attacks. Pete Hegseth has been nominated to be the next secretary of defense.
Who is in charge of the DEA?
Anne Milgram was sworn in as DEA Administrator on June 28, 2021, after being confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on June 24, 2021. As Administrator, she leads an agency of nearly 10,000 public servants who work in DEA's 334 offices across the globe.
What can the DA do for you?
After all, they can decide whether to bring criminal charges to court. They also decide which cases to divert or dismiss from the court. District attorneys are responsible for efforts like recommending sentencing and initiating further investigations. They also present cases against a suspected lawbreaker.
Does a district attorney have more power than a police officer?
And while the two agencies may theoretically be equally important in the justice system, the D.A.'s office can outmaneuver the police department when it chooses, relegating detectives to secondary importance or even excluding them altogether.
Why would the DA not file charges?
In general, district attorneys/prosecutors have the ability to decide whether or not to move forward with a case, usually based on the strength of the evidence that is available and whether the prosecutor feels that s/he can prove the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt to a judge/jury.
Who confirms the attorney general?
President Joe Biden nominated Garland as U.S. attorney general in January 2021. He was confirmed by the Senate in a 70–30 vote, and took office in March of that same year.
How much does the US attorney general make a year?
As of Jan 21, 2025, the average annual pay for an Attorney General in the United States is $103,584 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $49.80 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,992/week or $8,632/month.
Who is higher US attorney or attorney general?
A U.S. Attorney, or United States Attorney, is an official appointed by the Attorney General of the United States, to prosecute the laws on behalf of the United States (that is, “federal law”).