Priorities

As Commonwealth’s Attorney, Buta has ensured that justice is being served fairly. The job of a prosecutor is to seek justice.  Justice means following the law, protecting the victim, witnesses and the accused, and ensuring the system is fair for all.  For Buta, as a resident of Loudoun County for over 23 years, safety for her family and community is paramount.  Not only has Buta lived in Loudoun for decades, but she has opened and maintained a successful trial practice in Leesburg since 1993. 

As a trial attorney for over 25 years and presiding as a substitute judge for over 11 years, Buta saw the disparity in how the Commonwealth Attorneys dealt with the cases.  When she decided to seek the office, it was with the intent that consequences should be just and appropriate, focusing on community values.

As Commonwealth’s Attorney, she has worked to ensure that the actions of the Commonwealth Attorney’s office represents the best interests of Loudoun and are based on safety and justice.

Buta’s focus on community safety is Prevention – Protection – Prosecution.

As Commonwealth’s Attorney, Buta has worked with local government, social entities, school systems, and private businesses to provide resources to our students to be mentored, educated, and taught skills that redirect them away from delinquent behaviors.  She has collaborated with law enforcement and the schools to set policies and standards to end the school-to-prison pipeline, reducing the number of days a student is out of school, expulsions, detentions, and out-of-home commitments.

Buta has aligned the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office with community stakeholders to provide counseling and support services to victims during the pendency of trial and post-court involvement.  Additionally, she has collaborated with law enforcement and public legal services to provide support or escape options to individuals confronted with potential or actual threats to their safety.

Buta works closely with local government and law enforcement to set policies and guidelines on the level of low-offense, non-violent charges that will be diverted away from the court’s pre-prosecution.

Buta’s is committed to serving the whole community, and has been actively involved. She co-founded the Street Law Program, has served as a mentor for the Leadership in Law program, speaker and mentor for the Loudoun County Public Schools on Law Day, and is on the Board of Directors of the non-profit corporation A Advantage 4 Kids, Inc., an organization benefiting Northern Virginia families and children. She has also served as Loudoun NAACP Legal Redress Chairwoman.

Buta has seen firsthand how the criminal justice system creates and reinforces economic and racial inequalities – from how charges are selected, bond is determined, pleas are offered, and sentencing is argued.

Buta has worked diligently to end the school to prison pipeline by embracing the relationship between the schools, the community, and the court system to create diversion opportunities. She believes that we must keep school disciplinary issues within the school system, not funneling them into the court system.

Mass incarceration is not the way to solve society’s problems. Justice means appropriate charges for crimes, and prevention and meaningful investment in our communities.

As a trial lawyer and resident of Loudoun County for 25 years, Buta knows the value of transparency in our local criminal justice system. Transparency is hard work, but it must be done. Buta will engage the community and ensure better use of taxpayer dollars in smart and transparent ways. In FY18,the average operating cost (not including debt service) per inmate was $166.31.

Our community should understand the true costs of incarceration and weigh the values of diversion and prevention. She has prioritized data collection and made that information readily available to our community. Buta has worked diligently to ensure that the Commonwealth Attorney’s office operates with the utmost transparency, focusing on helping jurors and the public understand the true cost of prosecutions to the County.

Integrity has been a guiding principle in Buta Biberaj’s personal and professional life, and she will do what’s right to be a good steward of public funds and public trust.  Since 1993, Buta has maintained a successful legal practice in Leesburg.  Prior to being an attorney, she worked with Costco and was part of a team that was responsible for over 200 employees, sales in excess of $150 million, and data for the whole warehouse.  Buta’s business experience give her a perspective on the value of resources and how to best invest and be fiscally accountable.  Buta has always been blessed to be chosen to serve in positions of trust.  She was elected to serve as Loudoun County Bar president in 2014, served as a Guardian Ad Litem for children and the elderly for over 23 years, and was appointed to serve as a substitute judge in 2006 and reappointed in 2012 (each for a six-year term). Buta was elected the first woman and first Muslim Commonwealth’s Attorney of Loudoun County in 2019.

Buta understands that the criminal justice system is based on trust.  If the community trusts the system, we are safer.  However, when victims are afraid to report crimes because they don’t trust that the police will fairly and thoroughly investigate or that prosecutors won’t hear them when they speak; or when witnesses are not informed to appear in court, our community is not safe.  When prosecutors don’t charge the right person, overcharge someone in order to force a plea, or threaten to stack charges to force a plea, our community is not safe.  Buta has changed the culture of the Commonwealth Attorney’s office so that justice is always paramount and that integrity is always preserved so that we all feel safe!