what acts as the states lawyer and represents the commonwealth in court

by Amie Wisozk 4 min read

In all criminal cases before the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court in which the Commonwealth is a party or is directly interested, the Attorney General shall appear and represent the Commonwealth.

In the United States, a district attorney (DA), state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties.

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What is the difference between a commonwealth attorney and state attorney?

Mar 11, 2022 · The attorney for the Commonwealth and assistant attorney for the Commonwealth shall be a part of the department of law enforcement of the county or city in which he is elected or appointed, and shall have the duties and powers imposed upon him by general law, including the duty of prosecuting all warrants, indictments or informations charging a felony, and he may in …

What are the duties of a Virginia Commonwealth Attorney?

Commonwealth's Attorney Physical Address 1245 Courthouse Road P. O. Box 66 Stafford, VA 22555 Phone: (540) 658-8780 Fax: (540) 658-4031 Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - …

How does the Commonwealth's Attorney's office handle felony cases?

Assistant State's Attorneys, also known as Deputy State's Attorneys,are the ones who actually appear in court, file the legal briefs and interview witnesses. The State's Attorney, on the other hand, is in charge of policy, staffing and running the office, and making decisions about certain high-profile cases. Advertisement.

What does a state's attorney do?

Jul 24, 2020 · The Commonwealth, through the Attorney General (Commonwealth), is the respondent before this Court.2The Commonwealth has taken a position before this Court that would alter drastically the Department’s longstanding interpretation of a corporate net income tax provision applicable to pre-2014 tax years. The

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Who is the lawyer that represents the federal government?

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.Mar 12, 2021

What is Va Commonwealth Attorney?

The commonwealth's attorney prosecutes misdemeanor and felony cases for the city of Roanoke and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District, General District, and Circuit Courts. The position of commonwealth's attorney was established by the Constitution of Virginia.

Who is the Roanoke city commonwealth attorney?

Commonwealth's AttorneyStaffNameTitlePhoneCaldwell, DonaldCommonwealth's Attorney540-853-2626

Who is the commonwealth attorney in Richmond Virginia?

Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor is frequently found in the community, speaking about these issues and many others, and is always available to speak to your group in-person or virtually.

Who is the Virginia Beach Commonwealth attorney?

Colin StolleGeneral election for Virginia Beach Commonwealth's AttorneyCandidate%VotesColin Stolle (R)96.6128,694Other/Write-in votes3.44,528

What is a prosecutor in Virginia called?

In Virginia, local prosecutors are elected constitutional officers called Commonwealth's attorneys. That means change begins at the ballot box. Prosecutors decide whether anyone arrested by the police gets tried for a crime, and who gets charged with what.

Does Virginia have district attorneys?

A Virginia Commonwealth Attorney is the prosecuting officer of a criminal case (i.e., the official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses). Other states call them district attorneys (or "D.A.s"), but they serve the same functions.Feb 25, 2019

How do I contact the attorney general of Virginia?

Office of the Attorney GeneralEmailmailoag@oag.state.va.us.Phone(804) 786-2071.Mailing Address 202 North Ninth Street. Richmond, VA 23219.

Who is the sheriff of the City of Richmond?

Dr. Antionette V. IrvingOn January 1, 2018, Dr. Antionette V. Irving became Sheriff of the City of Richmond facilitating one of the largest Sheriff's Offices in the Commonwealth, to include over 450 sworn and civilian staff members.

Is Colette McEachin related to Donald McEachin?

In 2019, McEachin's wife, Colette, became interim Commonwealth's Attorney for Richmond (having served in that office for 20 years), won the Democratic nomination on August 10, 2019, and was unopposed in the special election on November 5, 2019. Her term ends in 2021. They have three children and live in Richmond.

How are state attorneys elected?

In general, State's Attorneys are elected by the people they represent. Their duties are spelled out in the laws of the local governments they represent, and they're held accountable by the voters for how well they do their jobs and how well their performance matches up with the local politics of the area. But a State's Attorney hardly ever does ...

What is an assistant state attorney?

Assistant State's Attorneys, also known as Deputy State's Attorneys,are the ones who actually appear in court, file the legal briefs and interview witnesses. The State's Attorney, on the other hand, is in charge of policy, staffing and running the office, and making decisions about certain high-profile cases. Advertisement.

What is a prosecutor?

A State's Attorney is the most common term for a prosecutor, someone who represents the people in criminal and civil legal matters. But while the most iconic image of a State's Attorney is ...

What is the job of a criminal prosecutor?

Criminal prosecutions are the chief duty of most State's Attorney offices. In many states, such as Michigan, criminal prosecutions follow a predetermined series of steps [source: Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan ]. First, police file a warrant or charging request with the State's Attorney following an investigation.

How do police arrest a suspect?

First, police file a warrant or charging request with the State's Attorney following an investigation. Attorneys review the request and may decide to issue a warrant, which allows the police to arrest the suspect. An arraignment in court follows, at which the suspect is formally charged with a crime and enters a plea.

What is an arraignment in court?

An arraignment in court follows, at which the suspect is formally charged with a crime and enters a plea. Depending on the type and severity of a crime, there can be several pretrial hearings. At some point during these hearings, a plea bargain may be offered to induce the suspect to enter a guilty plea. Advertisement.

How many judicial districts does the US have?

One U.S. Attorney is assigned to each of 93 federal judicial districts around the country and is the top law enforcement official for the federal government in those districts. From there, the attorney will prosecute criminal cases, represent the federal government and collect debts owed to the federal government.

What is the Civil Law Division?

The Civil Law Division defends the constitutionality of Pennsylvania law, represents Commonwealth agencies, defends the Commonwealth in tax appeals, collects delinquent taxes and other debts owed to the Commonwealth, handles or supervises various appeals and reviews Commonwealth contracts, regulations ...

What is a torts lawyer?

The Torts Litigation Section defends the Commonwealth and its agencies, officials, and employees in personal injury and property damage actions in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Many of these matters involve claims against the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) for death or serious bodily injury resulting from the allegedly defective design, construction, or maintenance of state highways. Torts Litigation lawyers work out of six regional offices across the state.

What is the appellate litigation section?

The Appellate Litigation Section handles all civil litigation appeals in state and federal courts. These appeals arise from both the Civil Law and Public Protection Divisions of the Office of Attorney General and include constitutional challenges to state laws, policies and actions; employment, tax appeal and personal injury matters; oversight of charitable organizations; and consumer protection cases. The Appellate Litigation Section also analyzes and advises on requests that the Commonwealth join friend-of-the-court “amicus” briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States and elsewhere around the Country.

What is impact litigation?

The Impact Litigation Section is responsible for representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a plaintiff in civil litigation and related legal matters involving issues of significant state and national importance, including matter s regarding policies and actions of the federal government. It both initiates legal action on its own and joins actions initiated by other state attorneys general across the Country where doing so is necessary or desirable to protect the legal rights of Pennsylvanians. The Impact Litigation Section also analyzes and advises on requests that the Commonwealth join friend-of-the-court “amicus” briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States and elsewhere around the Country.

What is the legal review section?

The Legal Review Section reviews and approves for form and legality all state agency contracts and regulations, as well as state bond issues. It also drafts and approves plain language statements for ballot questions, protects agricultural operations from unauthorized local regulation that is prohibited or preempted by state law under the Agricultural Communities and Rural Environment Act, 3 Pa. C.S. §§ 311-318, or “ACRE,” and responds to all Right-to-Know Law requests submitted to the Office of Attorney General. In addition, when requested to do so by the Governor or the head of any Commonwealth agency, the Legal Review Section provides them with legal advice on matters arising in connection with their official duties. 71 P.S. § 732-204.

What is financial enforcement?

The majority of the remaining cases involve personal income taxes. Financial Enforcement collect s delinquent debts and other obligations owed to the Commonwealth and its agencies. It also represents the Commonwealth and its agencies before federal bankruptcy courts in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.

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