Disparities in US Attorney Prosecutions?

[Number Six]

The state by state US attorney press releases are illuminating with regard to the current priorities of the US department of justice. I was fortunate enough to be present at a meeting set up at a local university by then Congressman Shays, hosting the US attorney Kevin O'Connor, various FBI staff people, ACLU lawyers, and librarians addressing concerns over the Patriot Act surveillance of library patrons. Counsellor O'Connor professed his ignorance of tax law, his principal interest for targets appeared to be the more socially disruptive crimes.

With this in mind as a point of reference, my question is whether there is a disparity in the basis for what is prosecuted in a given district? I would reference first Connecticut: http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/press.html

Other states: NH: http://www.justice.gov/usao/nh/press/index.html
NY: http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressre ... index.html
GA: http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/press/i ... ctober2009

Do the US attorneys have wide discression in what is or is not prosecuted? Can the President have much influence over what is or is not prosecuted? I appreciate any feedback on this issue.

[Demosthenes]

You can't tell anything at all from the press releases. Every of the 93 districts (the DOJ is not really organized by state) maintains their own press office, and none of them post every criminal case they prosecute. Heck, some districts don't even have press websites. A couple of districts don't have websites at all.

You're better off looking at TRAC stats and even those are limited unless you pay big bucks for full reports.

For tax cases, there are two levels of prosecutions - there's a national office in DC that takes the lead on many tax cases, while individual districts handle other tax cases with significant discretion in what cases they take on. For the cases I watch, you'll usually see one attorney from the DOJ Tax Division in DC paired up with a local Assistant US Attorney from the district where the crimes are being prosecuted. They don't always get along.

[notorial dissent]

For the cases I watch, you'll usually see one attorney from the DOJ Tax Division in DC paired up with a local Assistant US Attorney from the district where the crimes are being prosecuted. They don't always get along.

Imagine that!!!!

[Paladin]

United States Attorneys Mission Statement
The United States Attorneys serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. There are 93 United States Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. United States Attorneys are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, the President of the United States, with advice and consent of the United States Senate. One United States Attorney is assigned to each of the judicial districts, with the exception of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands where a single United States Attorney serves in both districts. Each United States Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer of the United States within his or her particular jurisdiction.

United States Attorneys conduct most of the trial work in which the United States is a party. The United States Attorneys have three statutory responsibilities under Title 28, Section 547 of the United States Code:

•the prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal government;
•the prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and
•the collection of debts owed the Federal government which are administratively uncollectible.

Although the distribution of caseload varies between districts, each has every category of cases and handles a mixture of simple and complex litigation. Each United States Attorney exercises wide discretion in the use of his/her resources to further the priorities of the local jurisdictions and needs of their communities.

[Judge Roy Bean]

Keep in mind they are political appointees and the position is often high profile enough to be an entree into politics or an advantage in moving on into either the judiciary or private practice with key firms.