County Elected Officials - County Prosecuting Attorney

Summary of Office

The county prosecuting attorney represents the county in the various county-level courts.

Number to Be Elected

One per county. Can be elected or appointed.

Term of Office

Elected at-large for a 4-year term. The term of office of county attorney starts on the first Monday of January after the election.

Criteria to Run

Must reside in the district from which he/she is chosen and must be a qualified elector. Must be a regular licensed and practicing lawyer.

Duties of Office

The county prosecuting attorney represents the state in all investigations for a felony before the various justice court judges in the county. He/she also appears before justice court judges and prosecutes all cases against people charged with offenses. The county prosecuting attorney is the prosecuting attorney for the county court. The county prosecuting attorney may present any matter to the grand jury of his/her county. The county prosecuting attorney has full responsibility for all misdemeanors, youth court proceedings, and all other cases not specifically granted to the district attorney.

Additional information about this office can be found in the Mississippi Code Title 19 Chapter 23.

Publication 3217 (POD-08-24)

By Jason Camp, PhD, Extension Specialist II, Center for Government and Community Development.