A district attorney is a public official who is appointed or elected to represent the state in criminal judicial proceedings in a particular judicial district or county; an appointed or elected officer who prosecutes cases in a particular judicial district. A district attorney is also referred to as a public prosecutor, state’s attorney, or prosecuting attorney.
The analogous position in the federal system is a United States Attorney.
[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]