Mary Moriarty

In 2014, after spending 25 years as a public defender, Moriarty was selected as Hennepin County's first female chief public defender.[9] As chief, Moriarty oversaw some 45,000 cases per year and managed a staff of 140 attorneys and over 70 support staff including investigators, dispositional advisors, paralegals, IT personnel, legal office assistants and law clerks. An evaluation from the National Center for State Courts stated that under Moriarty's leadership, Hennepin County had one of the best public defender offices in the country, one that was as successful as a private law firm.[10][11]

Moriarty and her team exposed inequities in the criminal legal system within Hennepin County. In 2018, they showed that low-level marijuana stings in Hennepin County overwhelmingly targeted Black people. Moriarty's office forced Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and the Minneapolis Police Department to stop the stings, which many viewed as racially biased.[12] In 2020, Moriarty's office conducted a study that revealed Black people were overwhelmingly more likely to be stopped by police for traffic violations—even though White drivers were more likely to have contraband.[13]

On December 23, 2019, Minnesota State Public Defender Bill Ward announced that he was placing Moriarty on indefinite suspension.[14] The Minnesota Board of Public Defense hired a law firm to investigate allegations that she had posted offensive content on social media, created a fearful environment in her office and fractured relationships with criminal justice leaders.[15] Ward pushed the state board not to renew the contract of Moriarty.[16] Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said that Moriarty is “one of the most principled people I know. I'm concerned about her treatment; it appears connected to her advocacy for racial justice.”[17] Ellison called for the Minnesota Board of Public Defense to examine the process that led to Moriarty's suspension, saying he believed Moriarty was targeted for speaking out against racial bias in the criminal justice system.[18]

On September 30, 2020, in a highly controversial move, the Minnesota Board of Public Defense voted 4–2 against re-appointing Moriarty.[19] During the six-hour board meeting, Moriarty rebutted accusations made against her, saying she was being attacked because of her advocacy for her clients and against racial injustices. Moriarty accused the board of sexism and holding a double standard regarding her advocacy for clients and staff. Moriarty clashed with Ward, who she said bullied and harassed her, belittling her by calling her "young lady."[20]

On June 22, 2021, the Minnesota Board of Public Defense agreed to pay Moriarty a $300,000 settlement. The state board did not admit wrongdoing, but it "agreed to a complete settlement of all of the disputes" between state leadership and Moriarty, avoiding a future lawsuit, according to the out-of-court settlement. In return, Moriarty officially retired from the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office.[21]

On September 1, 2021, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that he would retire at the end of his term after 24 years in the role. Moriarty announced the same day that she would explore a campaign for the open Hennepin County Attorney position.[22] On September 27, 2021, Moriarty officially declared her candidacy.[23] She came out as queer during her campaign.[24] Moriarty earned the endorsement of the Minnesota DFL at its convention in Hopkins on May 14, 2022, after two rounds of voting.[25] A nonpartisan primary was held on August 9, 2022, with Moriarty and former judge Martha Holton Dimick advancing to the general election.[26] On November 8, 2022, Moriarty was elected Hennepin county attorney, defeating Dimick.[1] She is the first LGBT person to serve as the Hennepin County Attorney.[24]

On November 14, 2022, Moriarty announced that State Representative Cedrick Frazier and law professor Mark Osler would serve as co-chairs of her transition committee.[27][28]

In a notable case from March 2023, Moriarty offered controversial plea deals to a 15 and 17-year-old charged with second-degree murder after shooting Zaria McKeever in Brooklyn Park. The plea deals allowed the defendants to serve 18 to 24 months in a juvenile correctional facility, with probation upon release until the age of 21.[29] Moriarty's decision was criticized by the family of the murder victim, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minnesota's largest police association, and community activists, who felt betrayed by what they viewed as lack of accountability for the killers and a miscarriage of justice for survivors.[30][31][32] An Assistant Hennepin County Attorney who had worked on the case for months also voluntarily removed herself from the case in protest. Moriarty defended her decision, stating "Our goal is to treat kids like kids," and "We know that kids that age are impressionable, they are impulsive, they're easily manipulated and subjected to peer pressure."[30] On April 6, 2023, Governor Tim Walz authorized Ellison to take over the murder case from Moriarty over her objections, despite Ellison previously criticizing the idea of circumventing a county attorney without their permission.[33][34]

After the McKeever case, Moriarty has repeatedly come under criticism over perceived leniency in treatment of violent offenders.[35][36][37][38] Throughout 2023, Moriarty has been criticized by families of victims and prosecutors in her office over her decisions to offer probation to two 17-year olds charged with murder, a person charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year old girl, a drug dealer charged with murder after knowingly giving fentanyl-laced pills to an overdose victim, a teen who was charged with murder after shooting a driver during a deadly carjacking, and a man charged with sexually assaulting a 9-year old girl. Some victims' family members have petitioned Ellison to take over cases from Moriarty, as he did in the McKeever case.[38][35]

In September 2023, Moriarty contradicted Ellison over a legal opinion on restraints by school resource officers (SRO). A law passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023 had altered legally permissible restraints by SROs, leading to confusion over permissible restraints and SROs pulling out of schools due to uncertainty over liability under the law. On September 20th, Ellison issued a legal opinion that SROs may continue to restrain lawbreaking students, which led to the return of some SROs. A week later, Moriarty disputed Ellison's interpretation, causing further confusion on the law.[39][40] Moriarty acknowledged that only the attorney general could issue a binding opinion, but pointed out that a judge may rule differently in court.[41]