she have several years in the practice of law.  Deputy district attorneys, on the other hand, are frequently 
fresh out of law school. They may have limited knowledge of state criminal law, as law school is designed 
to teach lawyers to enter any new field and educate themselves. 
Link to the Oregon District Attorneys Association Website https://www.oregonda.org/ 
 
Federal Prosecuting Attorneys 
Prosecutors in the federal system are part of the U.S. Department of Justice and work under the Attorney 
General of the United States. The Attorney General does not supervise individual prosecutors and relies 
on the 94 United States Attorneys, one for each federal district. U.S. Attorneys are given considerable 
discretion, but they must operate within general guidelines prescribed by the Attorney General. The U.S. 
Attorneys have a cadre of Assistant U.S. Attorneys who do the day-to-day prosecution of federal crimes. 
For certain types of cases, approval is needed from the Attorney General or the Deputy Attorney General 
in charge of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. The Criminal Division of the Department 
of Justice (DOJ) operates as the arm of the Attorney General in coordinating the enforcement of federal 
laws by the U.S. Attorneys. 
Link to cite to find the U.S. Attorney https://www.justice.gov/usao/find-your-united-states-attorney 
Selection and Qualifications of Prosecutors 
Most local prosecuting attorneys are elected in a partisan election in the district they serve. State attorney 
generals may also have significant prosecutorial authority. They are elected in forty-two states, appointed 
by the governor in six states, appointed by the legislature in one state, and appointed by the state supreme 
court in another. State attorney generals serve between two to six-year terms, which can be repeated. 
Federally, senators from each state recommend potential U.S. Attorney nominees who are then appointed 
by the President with the consent of the Senate.  U.S. Attorneys tend to be of the same political party as the 
President and are usually replaced when a new President from another party takes office. 
Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System
295