Facing a federal criminal matter in South Carolina involves a different set of people and rules than state court. Here’s a look at what federal court is, who the United States Attorney is, and what an AUSA does.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is federal court?
Federal court is a criminal court, not unlike state court. It has some different people involved: you have a federal judge, who works for the United States government, a United States Attorney as a prosecutor, versus your local DA. Federal courts have broader jurisdiction and different rules. If you have a case in federal court, it’s going to be a serious case, not that other cases aren’t serious, but there’s an uplevel aspect of federal court.
So, if you have a situation where you may be charged in federal court, or you have an arrest in federal court, you certainly want to be looking for a lawyer who’s qualified to do federal court, and many lawyers simply don’t participate in federal court because of the differences, so you want to take a good look at that.
The other thing you need to do in federal court is act quickly to get your situation under control and make sure you know what’s going on, because it can be a bit overwhelming.
Who is the United States Attorney?
The United States Attorney is a lawyer who was selected by the President of the United States and appointed to serve as a chief law enforcement officer for the district. For example, in South Carolina we have one district: the district of South Carolina. Other states such as Louisiana, Alabama, and New York have more than one district, it depends on the way the state is set up.
But that person is the chief law enforcement officer, and that person supervises Assistant United States Attorneys, they bring cases in federal criminal court. The person who’s the United States Attorney serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States and is confirmed by Congress.
That situation is throughout the United States, and there are several United States Attorneys and hundreds, if not thousands, of Assistant United States Attorneys bringing criminal cases in federal court.
What is the AUSA?
The AUSA is the Assistant United States Attorney. The short term is federal prosecutor. That’s the person who represents the government in court, in a criminal action against you or whoever the charges are against. The Assistant United States Attorney is the equivalent of a federal district attorney or state district attorney. It’s the federal prosecutor who prosecutes the case, and often they’re referred to as the AUSA.
Greg McCollum brings roughly 30 years of experience and a background as a former prosecutor to federal and state criminal matters in South Carolina.
If you have questions about federal criminal charges in South Carolina, call the Greg McCollum Complete Legal Defense Team at (843) 626-5480. Consultations are confidential.