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Professional Responsibilities Of The Federal Prosecutor, John S. Edwards

University of Richmond Law Review

The United States Attorney is in a unique and powerful position to affect the lives of many persons in the administration of justice in his district. He is vested with broad discretionary authority as the district's chief federal law enforcement officer and prosecutor; this includes the authority to initiate investigations and to bring charges. In exercising his responsibilities, he must be vigorous and vigilant in attacking crime, but must temper his zeal with a recognition that his broader responsibilities are to seek justice and not merely to prosecute with the single-minded goal of winning cases and achieving convictions. He must …