Norton Introduces Bill to Give D.C. a District Attorney
Norton Introduces Bill to Give D.C. a District Attorney
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the District of Columbia District Attorney Establishment Act of 2011, the sixth bill in her "Free and Equal D.C." series, to establish an Office of the District Attorney for the District of Columbia, which would be headed by a district attorney elected by D.C. residents, to prosecute the local criminal laws of the District, now handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, a federal official. "There is no law enforcement issue of greater importance to D.C. residents, or on which they have less say, than the prosecution of local crimes," said Norton in the bill's introduction statement. "A U.S. attorney has no business prosecuting the local criminal laws of a jurisdiction, an anomaly from the past that is out of place in 21st century home-rule D.C. The goal of the legislation is to put the District of Columbia on par with every other local jurisdiction in attention to its local criminal laws."
Norton said the majority of the workload of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia consists of local criminal cases, making the U.S. attorney here more of a district attorney than a U.S. attorney. She said the U.S. attorney here needs to do his federal work and leave local criminal cases to a local district attorney.
The Norton bill follows a November 2002 referendum where 82 percent of D.C. voters approved a locally-elected D.A, and is unrelated to the 2010 referendum to permit D.C. voters to elect the Attorney General, whose duties do not include prosecuting most local crimes.
The Congresswoman has already introduced five bills in her "Free and Equal D.C."series, the New Columbia Admission Act (statehood), the District of Columbia Equal Representation Act (Senate and House votes), the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act (a House vote), the District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of 2011, to allow D.C.'s budget to take effect immediately without congressional approval, and the District of Columbia Legislative Autonomy Act of 2011, to eliminate the congressional review period for civil and criminal legislation passed by D.C.
Norton's full introduction statement follows.
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Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
on the Introduction of the District of Columbia District Attorney Establishment Act of 2011
Ms. Norton. Mr. Speaker. Today, I introduce the sixth in our series of bills, "Free and Equal D.C.," to give District of Columbia residents the self-government and democracy enjoyed by other American citizens. The bill, the District of Columbia District Attorney Establishment Act of 2011, would establish the Office of the District Attorney for the District of Columbia, headed by a district attorney elected by D.C. residents, to prosecute the local criminal laws of the District, now handled by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a federal official. The bill effectuates a 2002 advisory referendum, approved by 82 percent of D.C. voters, on the creation of an office of the district attorney, headed by a locally elected district attorney.
There is no law enforcement issue of greater importance to D.C. residents, or on which they have less say here, than the prosecution of local crimes. A U.S. attorney has no business prosecuting the local criminal laws of a jurisdiction, an anomaly from the past that is out of place in 21st century home-rule D.C. The goal of the legislation is to put the District of Columbia on par with every other local jurisdiction in attention to its local criminal laws. Under the bill, the locally elected district attorney would become the city's chief legal officer. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia would continue to handle federal matters, like the other U.S. attorneys in our country. As presently constituted, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is the largest in the country, only because it serves as the local city prosecutor. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia needs to be freed up to handle national security and other vital federal cases, particularly in the post-9/11 nation's capital.
Amending the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to create a local district attorney would be an important development toward our goal of achieving true self-government. I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.