The Kings County District Attorney's Office, also known as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, is the
district attorney's office for
Kings County, coterminous with the Borough of
Brooklyn, in New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of the
laws of New York
''Laws of the State of New York'' are the session laws of the New York State Legislature published as an annual periodical, i.e., "chapter laws", bills that become law (bearing the governor's signature or just certifications of passage) which have ...
. (Violations of
federal law
Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join in a federation, delegating their individual sovereignty and many pow ...
are prosecuted by the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York). The current
district attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, 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 loc ...
is
Eric Gonzalez.
History
In a legislative act of February 12, 1796, New York State was divided into seven districts, each with its own Assistant Attorney General. Kings County was part of the First District, which also included
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
Richmond,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowesto ...
, and
Westchester counties. (At that time, Queens County included much of present-day
Nassau County, and Westchester County included present-day
Bronx County.) In 1801, the office of Assistant Attorney General was renamed District Attorney and New York County was added to the First District. Westchester County was separated from the First District in 1813, and New York County was separated in 1815. In 1818, each county in the state became its own separate district.
Until 1822, district attorneys were appointed by the Council of Appointment, and held office "during the Council's pleasure", meaning that there was no defined term. Under the State Constitution of 1821, the district attorney was appointed to a three-year term by the Court of General Sessions, and under the State Constitution of 1846, the office became elective by popular ballot. The governor filled vacancies until a successor was elected, always to a full term, at the next annual election. An acting district attorney was appointed by the Court of General Sessions pending the Governor's action.
[
Since the Consolidation Charter of New York City in 1898, the terms of the district attorneys in New York City have coincided with the mayor's term, and are for four years. In case of a vacancy, the governor appoints an interim district attorney and can call a special election for the remainder of the term.
]
List of Kings County District Attorneys
References
External links
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office: Official website
{{Current prosecutors of New York City, state=expanded
Brooklyn