District Attorney – Benjamin Zellinger

Benjamin ‘Boz’ Zellinger
Democrat
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Occupation: Assistant District Attorney, Wake County DA OfficeWhat is the central role of the district attorney? The District Attorney is obviously the chief prosecutor in the county, so the elected DA determines what is appropriate and just in all of the cases that come through our criminal courts. I think the DA has a role as an administrator in running an office with a pretty big budget and a lot of folks working under it making sure the office continues to hum and is able to address the thousands and thousands of cases that come through court everyday. Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations. How would you handle cases like these in Wake County?

District Attorney – Nancy Lorrin Freeman

Nancy Lorrin Freeman
Democrat
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Occupation: Wake County Clerk of Superior Court

What is the central role of the district attorney? The role of the District Attorney’s Office is to make sure that the important work our law enforcement officers do in the community doesn’t fall apart when it gets to the courthouse. We file over 100,000 criminal matters here a year, there’s over 80 people in the DA’s office, and so the office needs a strong manager who can make sure that those cases are handled in a way that first and foremost promotes public safety, but that also seeks justice and is fair. Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations. How would you handle cases like these in Wake County?

District Attorney – Terry Swaim

Terry Allen Swaim
Republican
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Occupation: Founding Partner at Swaim Law PLLC
Town: WendellWhat is the central role of the district attorney? The District Attorney is an administrator of justice. A lot of people say the DA is a prosecutor; well, prosecuting cases is one of his or her duties. The chief job is the administration of justice, in other words a DA has to make hard decisions because sometimes you try cases, sometimes you don’t try cases. Sometimes there’s a home invasion where the homeowner wants to shoot someone who’s invading, that’s always a controversial thing, whether you bring charges or follow through on charges that are brought

Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations.

District Attorney – John Bryant

John Walter Bryant
Repubilcan
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Occupation: Founding Partner at Bryant, Irvie & Long PLLC

What is the central role of the district attorney? To enforce the laws that are enacted by the legislature, but I think the office has to be a great deal more than that. I think its more of an apolitical office, even though we’re running for parties, I think it ought to be more like the positions for judges in the state that are supposed to be nonpolitical. The job is supposed to benefit everybody. Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations.

District Attorney – Jeff Cruden

Jeff Cruden
Republican
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Occupation: Senior Assistant District Attorney, Wake County DA Office
Town: RaleighWhat is the central role of the district attorney? The primary role is to protect the public, to ensure that citizens’ rights are protected by the District Attorney’s office, to prosecute cases brought by law enforcement under the privy of laws and statutes that exist; that’s our primary duty. 
Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations. How would you handle cases like these in Wake County? We already have a system in place for minor traffic offenses.