The Attorney General has direct supervision over the district attorneys of the several counties of the state and may require of them written reports as to the condition of public business entrusted to their charge.

When the Attorney General deems it advisable or necessary in the public interest, or when directed to do so by the Governor, the Attorney General shall assist any district attorney in the discharge of the district attorney’s duties, and may, if deemed necessary, take full charge of any investigation or prosecution of violations of law of which the superior court has jurisdiction. In this respect the Attorney General has all the powers of a district attorney, including the power to issue or cause to be issued subpoenas or other process.

Terms Used In California Government Code 12550

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Process: includes a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings of either a civil or criminal nature. See California Government Code 22
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 50, Sec. 103. (AB 378) Effective January 1, 2022.)

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