Region's Attorney

Seal of the Office of the Region's Attorney, with the archaic "Regional Attorney" terminology

Incumbent | Yewtopia | Since November 5, 2020

New West Indies Department of Internal Affairs

### Status

Lead ProsecutorFirst Chair/Lead Government Counsel

### Term Length

At the pleasure of the Secretary of Internal Affairs

### First Holder

Celestiam

The **Region's Attorney**, sometimes referred to as the **Regional Attorney** or **RA**, is a Government official in the New West Indies' Executive Branch under the Department of Internal Affairs. Communications from the Region's Attorney in an official capacity are occasionally referred to as originating from the Office of the Region's Attorney (ORA).

The Region's Attorney is tasked with representing the Region in the High Court. This responsibility materialises most often as being the prosecutor in non-government criminal offences, and they remain the only individual permitted to prosecute such offences. The Region's Attorney also defends individuals accused of Government criminal offences, though this has never happened. Furthermore, the Region's Attorney represents the accused party in State Court. Finally, as one the Region's Attorney's chief duties, the Office advises the Secretary-General and other members of the Secretariat on legal affairs, acting as the Secretariat's legal counsel.

The Region's Attorney is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Secretary of Internal Affairs. In practice, Secretaries-General have been particularly involved in the appointment of the Region's Attorney, often picking the incumbent themselves. The direct reliance of numerous Secretaries-General on their Region's Attorneys for legal advice and aid in carrying out Executive efforts to maintain stability, as shown by a now-discarded proposal to place the Region's Attorney in a dedicated Department of Justice,[*source?*] has made the Office one of the more prestigious subordinate positions.

The current Region's Attorney is Yewtopia, who was nominated by Cymiopolis on November 5, 2020, and confirmed by the Judiciary Oversight Committee later that month.

## Origin

### Establishment

The Office of the Region's Attorney was established by General Assembly Resolution #21: Establishing a Judicial System that created the High Court. Unlike the High Court, the Region's Attorney is not cited in the Constitution of the New West Indies but is cited in statute law. The term "Region's Attorney" was first used in the Chambers of the General Assembly in July 2019, and the first Region's Attorney was appointed on December 4th, 2019.

### Etymology

The word *attorney* originates from the Middle English *attourney*, from Anglo-French *aturné*, past participle of *aturner.* In light of the influence of the Common Law and US Judicial systems on the framers of the High Court, it is likely that the term *Region's Attorney* designates the Attorney of the Region in a similar way to the "District Attorney" and "United States Attorney."

## References

1. ↑ NWI.gov, Department of Internal Affairs, "Office of the Region's Attorney"
2. ↑ 5 N.W.I.C §301
3. ↑ General Assembly, #judiciary channel
4. ↑ Department of Internal Affairs, RMB Announcement
5. ↑ Merriam Webster
6. ↑ "District Attorney", Wikipedia
7. ↑ "United States Attorney", Wikipedia