Jackson County Attorney
Hon. George T. Hays
Background
The office of county attorney was first made a constitutional office under the
Kentucky Constitution of 1850. The present Constitution requires the
election of a county attorney in each county for a term of four years. He or she
must be 24 years of age, a citizen of Kentucky, a resident of the state for two years, a
resident of the county one year prior to election, and a licensed practicing attorney for two
years prior to election
In 1976, the General Assembly modified the office of county attorney so that it became part of the unified and integrated prosecutorial system under the direction of the attorney general. Further, the county attorney became an ex officio special prosecutor of the Commonwealth required to perform duties coextensive with the Commonwealth attorney, as directed by the attorney general. While the nature of the office has been changed, the duties remain substantially of the same classification: the prosecutorial function, civil adviser to county government, and miscellaneous duties for the state and county..
The county attorney must attend the District Court in his or her county and prosecute all violations of criminal and penal law within the court’s jurisdiction. Further, the county attorney and the Commonwealth’s attorney are required to cooperate in the
enforcement of laws and, when necessary, to assist each other in prosecution within their respective courts. They may agree to share or redistribute their prosecutorial duties in the Circuit and District Courts.