City Attorney or Prosecutor
The Basics
A City Attorney or City Prosecutor is a lawyer representing a city government. Exactly what a City Attorney is responsible for varies. Some might act as prosecutors and deal exclusively with lower-level crimes, so the county-level District Attorney’s office can focus on more serious incidents; others deal with civil cases involving smaller amounts of money or cases that have special circumstances, like juvenile cases; some only work on cases that the city government itself is a part of.
If your area’s City Attorney is a prosecutor or has authority over any criminal cases, their job is similar to a District Attorney (a DA is the chief prosecutor of a county and in most places, handles all criminal prosecutions in their area). The main difference is jurisdiction – while a District Attorney handles crimes throughout the county, a City Attorney only handles cases that happen in their city.
One of a prosecutor’s most important responsibilities is deciding which criminal cases get prosecuted and which do not. Prosecutors often guide and recommend sentencing if a person is convicted (determining how long they spend incarcerated, and/or how much they might owe in fines, fees, and restitution), and they have the power to offer plea bargains and collaborate with law enforcement to carry out investigations.
No matter their jurisdiction, all City Attorneys have some power in your local court system, making this an important office to know about if you care about criminal justice.
How can I make my voice heard?
Democracy works when you do! Learn how to advocate for what you believe in, no matter the office or government agency, with our handy Genius Guides to advocacy.
Sources: City Attorney of San Francisco; Municipal Code of Bogalusa, Louisiana
What have City Attorneys and Prosecutors done?
Prosecutors have a big influence on criminal justice issues, and city attorneys act as important legal advisors for your local government. Here are just a few examples of actions that have made a big impact:
- Hydee Feldstein Soto
California
Led a group of government officials filing legal action to stop ICE raids in the Los Angeles region, alleging that they were unconstitutional - David Chiu
California
Partnered with Stanford University to analyze the city’s municipal code for obsolete or redundant provisions using a new AI tool; after analysis of the results, he proposed eliminating more than a third of the city’s public reporting requirements to save the government money and allow City staff to focus more on urgent issues
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In Seattle, the City Attorney acts as the city government’s in-house lawyer: they represent the city government and its agencies in lawsuits, and advises city leaders on whether their proposed policies are legal. They also have prosecutorial discretion, meaning they have the authority to bring criminal charges if the case involves misdemeanors. Because many drug-related offenses in Seattle are classified as misdemeanors, the City Attorney has a lot of influence over how these cases are handled. Along with deciding whether to prosecute, the City Attorney can push for new laws and policies that shape how the city deals with drug-related issues.
That’s exactly what City Attorney Ann Davidson did in 2024, when she proposed a new law allowing courts to ban people convicted of drug crimes from entering certain parts of the city if they commit a drug-related criminal offense there. These areas, called “Stay Out of Drug Area” (SODA) zones, are areas where there is known drug-related activity, and designating an area a SODA zone was intended to improve public safety for residents, visitors, and businesses within the area. The City Council passed the law in September of 2024, and in the policy’s first year, 115 orders were issued.
Davidson has described the law as giving police “new legal tools” to tackle drug-related crime and homelessness. Critics, however, see the policy as misguided: they believe drug use and related crimes should be treated as public health issues, and that resources should go towards housing, mental health care, and substance use disorder treatment. In their view, SODA zones would move drug activity to different areas rather than eliminating it, and push vulnerable populations further away from services. Some critics point to a research memo by City Council staff, which found “no rigorous evaluations” suggesting that the orders would be effective, and that they might increase recidivism without addressing the root causes of drug crimes. The issue became a key one in the 2025 City Attorney election, with the candidates challenging Davidson offering differing approaches.
Sources: Real Change News; Seattle City Government; Seattle City Council; the Everett Post; Downtown Seattle Association; People Power Washington; Seattle City Council Central Staff
How does it work in my state?
Scroll down and click on your state to learn more about the specifics of a City Attorney or Prosecutor’s powers and responsibilities where you live. (If your state isn’t here yet, check back often – we’re adding more info all the time. If your state doesn’t elect these roles, it won’t appear here.)
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Term limits: none; terms are four years
Eligibility: to run for City Prosecutor, you must have lived in the city for at least a year, and be a licensed attorney in Louisiana with at least three years of experience practicing law
The city of Bogalusa has an elected City Prosecutor, a position which is voted on by all the city’s voters. This role is one of multiple legal officials, all with different responsibilities:
- City Prosecutor: handles all criminal cases that are brought in the City Court, which are mostly misdemeanors and lower-level felonies (things like assault, robbery, and public intoxication)
- City Attorney: provides legal advice to the city government, and represents the city government in all legal matters except criminal cases. Unlike the Prosecutor, the City Attorney is an appointed position, not an elected one
- District Attorney: the chief prosecutor for the entire parish; in situations like Bogalusa’s, where a City Prosecutor handles some criminal cases, the DA usually focuses on more serious crimes
Source: City of Bogalusa Municipal Code