the.com/prosecutor
the state's chosen weapon, who decides who walks free and who answers for it.
means A lawyer who represents the government in bringing criminal charges against an accused person and arguing the case against them in court.
from From Latin prosequi, 'to follow after, pursue,' built from pro- ('forward') and sequi ('to follow' — the same root that gives us 'sequence' and 'pursue'). A prosecutor is literally one who follows a matter through, pursuing it to its end. The word entered English by way of legal Latin, where 'to prosecute' first meant simply to carry on or pursue any undertaking, before narrowing to the courtroom sense of pursuing a charge against someone.
- charging power
- Decides what crimes to charge, or none at all.
- win rate
- US federal cases convict over 90 percent.
- plea deals
- Most cases never reach trial, settled by bargain.
- latin roots
- From prosequi, meaning to follow up or pursue.
- career pipeline
- Many become judges, governors, even presidents.
kenneth starr — independent counsel who investigated president clinton, leading to his 1998 impeachment
jack smith — special counsel prosecuting donald trump in both classified documents and january 6 cases, 2023-2024
marcia clark — lead prosecutor in the o.j. simpson trial, los angeles 1995