Article 9.

District Attorneys andJudicial Districts.

§ 7A‑60.  Districtattorneys and prosecutorial districts.

(a) The State shall bedivided into prosecutorial districts, as shown in subsection (a1) of thissection. There shall be a district attorney for each prosecutorial district, asprovided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section who shall be a resident ofthe prosecutorial district for which elected. A vacancy in the office ofdistrict attorney shall be filled as provided in Article IV, Sec. 19 of theConstitution.

(a1) (Contingentlyeffective until January 15, 2011 – See Editor's note) The counties of theState are organized into prosecutorial districts, and each district has thecounties and the number of full‑time assistant district attorneys setforth in the following table:

No. of Full‑Time

Prosecutorial Asst.District

District Counties Attorneys

1 Camden,Chowan, Currituck, 11

Dare,Gates, Pasquotank,

Perquimans

2 Beaufort,Hyde, Martin, 8

Tyrrell,Washington

3A Pitt 11

3B Carteret,Craven, Pamlico 12

4 Duplin,Jones, Onslow, 18

Sampson

5 NewHanover, Pender 18

6A Halifax 5

6B Bertie,Hertford, 6

Northampton

7 Edgecombe,Nash, Wilson 19

8 Greene,Lenoir, Wayne 14

9 Franklin,Granville, 12

Vance, Warren

9A Person,Caswell 6

10 Wake 42

11 Harnett,Johnston, Lee 19

12 Cumberland 23

13 Bladen,Brunswick, Columbus 13

14 Durham 18

15A Alamance 11

15B Orange,Chatham 10

16A Scotland, Hoke 7

16B Robeson 13

17A Rockingham 7

17B Stokes, Surry 8

18 Guilford 32

19A Cabarrus 9

19B Montgomery,Randolph 10

19C Rowan 8

19D Moore 5

20A Anson,Richmond, 12

Stanly

20B Union 10

21 Forsyth 25

22A Alexander,Iredell 11

22B Davidson,Davie 11

23 Alleghany,Ashe, Wilkes, 8

Yadkin

24 Avery,Madison, Mitchell, 7

Watauga, Yancey

25 Burke,Caldwell, Catawba 19

26 Mecklenburg 58

27A Gaston 15

27B Cleveland, 11

Lincoln

28 Buncombe 14

29A McDowell,Rutherford 7

29B Henderson,Polk, Transylvania 8

30 Cherokee,Clay, Graham, 11

Haywood, Jackson, Macon,

Swain.

(a1) (Contingentlyeffective January 15, 2011 – See Editor's note) The counties of the Stateare organized into prosecutorial districts, and each district has the countiesand the number of full‑time assistant district attorneys set forth in thefollowing table:

No. of Full‑Time

Prosecutorial Asst.District

District Counties Attorneys

1 Camden, Chowan,Currituck, 11

Dare, Gates, Pasquotank,

Perquimans

2 Beaufort, Hyde,Martin, 8

Tyrrell, Washington

3A Pitt 11

3B Carteret, Craven,Pamlico 12

4 Duplin, Jones,Onslow, 18

Sampson

5 New Hanover, Pender 18

6A Halifax 5

6B Bertie, Hertford, 6

Northampton

7 Edgecombe, Nash,Wilson 19

8 Greene, Lenoir,Wayne 14

9 Franklin,Granville, 12

Vance, Warren

9A Person, Caswell 6

10 Wake 42

11A Harnett, Lee 9

11B Johnston 10

12 Cumberland 23

13 Bladen, Brunswick,Columbus 13

14 Durham 18

15A Alamance 11

15B Orange, Chatham 10

16A Scotland, Hoke 7

16B Robeson 13

17A Rockingham 7

17B Stokes, Surry 8

18 Guilford 32

19A Cabarrus 9

19B Montgomery,Randolph 10

19C Rowan 8

19D Moore 5

20A Anson, Richmond, 12

Stanly

20B Union 10

21 Forsyth 25

22A Alexander, Iredell 11

22B Davidson, Davie 11

23 Alleghany, Ashe,Wilkes, 8

Yadkin

24 Avery, Madison,Mitchell, 7

Watauga, Yancey

25 Burke, Caldwell,Catawba 19

26 Mecklenburg 58

27A Gaston 15

27B Cleveland, 11

Lincoln

28 Buncombe 14

29A McDowell,Rutherford 7

29B Henderson, Polk,Transylvania 8

30 Cherokee, Clay,Graham, 11

Haywood, Jackson,Macon,

Swain.

(a2) Upon the conveningof each regular session of the General Assembly and its reconvening in the even‑numberedyear, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall report its recommendationsregarding the allocation of assistant district attorneys for the upcomingfiscal biennium and fiscal year to the General Assembly, including any requestfor additional assistant district attorneys. The report shall include thenumber of assistant district attorneys that the Administrative Office of theCourts recommends to be allocated to each prosecutorial district and thecaseload and criteria on which each recommended allocation is based. Any reportsrequired under this subsection shall be made to the Joint LegislativeCommission of Governmental Operations, the House of Representatives and SenateAppropriations Subcommittees on Justice and Public, and the Fiscal ResearchDivision.

(b) Except as providedin subsection (c) of this section, each district attorney for a prosecutorialdistrict as defined in subsection (a1) of this section, other than District19B, who is in office on December 31, 1988, shall continue in office for thatprosecutorial district, for a term expiring December 31, 1990. In the generalelection of 1990, and every four years thereafter, a district attorney shall beelected for a four‑year term for each prosecutorial district other thanDistricts 16A and 19B, and shall take office on the January 1 following suchelection. The district attorney for Prosecutorial District 19B, who is electedin the general election of 1988 for a four‑year term beginning January 1,1989, shall serve that term for Prosecutorial District 19B. In the generalelection of 1992, and every four years thereafter, a district attorney shall beelected for a four‑year term for Prosecutorial Districts 16A and 19B andshall take office on the January 1 following such election.

(c) The office and termof the district attorney for Prosecutorial District 12 formerly consisting ofCumberland and Hoke Counties are allocated to Prosecutorial District 12 asdefined by subsection (a1) of this section. The office and the term of thedistrict attorney for former Prosecutorial District 16 consisting of Robesonand Scotland Counties are allocated to Prosecutorial District 16B as defined bysubsection (a1) of this section. The initial district attorney forProsecutorial District 16A as defined in subsection (a1) of this section shallbe elected in the general election of November 1988, from nominations made inaccordance with G.S. 163‑114 as if a vacancy had occurred in nomination,and shall serve an initial term expiring December 31, 1992. In all otherrespects, subsection (b) of this section shall apply to the district attorneysfor Prosecutorial Districts 12, 16A, and 16B to the same extent as all otherdistrict attorneys.  (1967, c. 1049, s. 1; 1975, c. 956, s. 4; 1977, c. 1130, s. 3; 1977,2nd Sess., c. 1238, s. 2; 1981, c. 964, ss. 2, 3; 1987, c. 509, ss. 4, 5; c.738, s. 127(a); 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 1056, s. 1; c. 1086, s. 111; 1989,c. 770, ss. 1, 56; c. 795, s. 24(a), (e); 1991, c. 742, s. 13; 1991 (Reg.Sess., 1992), c. 900, s. 120(a), (b); 1993, c. 321, ss. 200.4(l), 200.7(a),(b); 1995, c. 507, s. 21.7; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 589, s. 3(a); 1996, 2ndEx. Sess., c. 18, s. 22(a); 1997‑443, s. 18.11(a); 1998‑212, s.16.20(a); 1999‑237, s. 17.8(a); 2004‑124, s. 14.6(h); 2005‑276,s. 14.2(l); 2006‑66, ss. 14.3(a), 14.19(a); 2007‑323, ss. 14.14(a),(b), 14.25(j); 2008‑107, s. 14.6; 2009‑451, s. 15.17E(a).)