The
Judiciary Act of 1789 describes the role of the United States attorney as, "A person learned in the law to act as attorney for the United States whose duty it shall be to prosecute in each district all delinquents for crimes and offenses cognizable under the authority of the United States and all civil actions in which the United States shall be concerned." The United States attorney is appointed by the
president of the United States and upon confirmation of the
United States Senate serves a term of four years. The United States attorney has been historically chosen from the same
political party that the President professes membership.
The United States attorney administers a staff consisting of twenty-eight assistant United States attorneys. The United States attorney has
ordinaryjurisdiction over all
civilian and
military special assistant United States attorneys and serves as a member of the
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA),