Superior Court Division
The
Superior Court and Central Pretrial/Case Disposition Division is responsible
for prosecuting some of the most challenging cases in the District Attorney’s
Office, including kidnapping, assaults, robberies, attempted murders, and murders.
One of the largest divisions in the office, Superior Court deputies handle all felonies not assigned to a branch or vertical prosecution division and are responsible for more than 25 percent of all felony cases tried by the District Attorney’s Office.
The division consists of four distinct teams: pretrial, case disposition, trials and major violators.
The pretrial deputies handle a large number of serious cases. They arraign
defendants charged in felony complaints, then prepare and conduct preliminary
examinations in front of a judge to prove the charges based upon a probable
cause standard. In doing so, the preliminary hearing deputies essentially are
liaisons between the DA’s office, law enforcement and the victims and witnesses
of crime.
The pretrial deputies also handle suppression motions, bail reviews, and miscellaneous
court calendars. Occasionally, they conduct misdemeanor trials, which result
if felony charges are reduced at the preliminary hearing.
The case disposition team works to appropriately assess felony cases in an attempt to reach fair and equitable resolutions of the cases at the earliest possible opportunity. The team encourages the immediate sentencing of defendants, where appropriate, significantly reducing costs to the County of San Diego.
The trial team is responsible for trying the cases that are bound over by the pretrial team and also serious trials that the deputy has handled vertically from the time the case was presented by law enforcement. Those cases involve murders, attempted murder arson and other complex felony cases.
The major violators unit prosecutes criminals with extensive felony backgrounds,
serial bank robbers and other defendants charged with numerous serious felonies
that face extraordinarily long prison sentences.
In addition, the Superior Court Division handles post-conviction mental health
cases for those found to be a danger to the community as a result of mental
illness.
Training and development of Deputy District Attorneys is an important aspect of the Superior Court Division. Monthly training sessions are presented on various aspects of criminal prosecution. Riding along with law enforcement officers is encouraged as well.
The unique combination of senior trial attorneys and junior deputies in the division helps junior deputies develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become formidable felony trial attorneys.
