# Carver County Attorney *Elected prosecutor and chief civil legal officer of Carver County, Minnesota.* The Carver County Attorney is the elected official who prosecutes crimes and acts as civil counsel for Carver County, [[Minnesota]]. The office describes the position as "similar to that of an in-house corporate counsel."[^1] Mark Metz holds the office. His county biography says he has been "elected Carver County Attorney since 2011" and was "reelected to his fourth term in 2022."[^2] He ran unopposed in 2022 and received 99.3 percent of the vote.[^3] The office's account of itself sits beside its handling of one body of records. In 2014 Metz told voters: "Our office will always listen, practice transparency when allowed by privacy laws, and explain what we did and why we did it."[^4] On February 9, 2018, the office opposed releasing the investigative data on Prince's death to lawyers for his estate. It said: "This confidential law enforcement data remains confidential until the Carver County Attorney makes the decision to charge or decline any criminal charge."[^5][^6] On April 20, 2018, the day after the investigation closed without criminal charges, Carver County published the investigative file.[^7][^8] ## Who Metz's county biography lists these roles: adjunct law professor at [[Mitchell Hamline School of Law]], where he teaches appellate advocacy; former chairperson of the Minnesota County Attorney's Urban Board; past president of the Eighth District Bar Association; and ethics investigator for the Lawyer's Board of Professional Responsibility.[^2] His Mitchell Hamline faculty biography says he graduated from William Mitchell and clerked for Judge James A. Morrow of the Anoka County District Court. It also says he has argued before the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]].[^9] In a 2014 interview he described his earlier career: 7.5 years as an Assistant McLeod County Attorney, then four years as an Assistant Carver County Attorney.[^4] The Minnesota County Attorneys Association elected Metz its president at its annual meeting on December 2, 2021. He had served on its board since 2014.[^10][^11] The association says it "represents all 87 elected county attorneys and their assistants — over 800 attorneys" and "provides leadership on legal and public policy issues."[^10] The office's staff page names the following officials:[^12] - Chief Deputy County Attorney: Jennifer Tichey - Civil Division manager: Lynn Walters - Criminal Division manager: Angella Erickson - Juvenile Division manager: Jennifer Christensen - Victim-Witness Division manager: Nancy E.M. Yates ## What The office has Civil, Criminal, Juvenile and Victim-Witness divisions.[^12] - **Criminal Division.** It "contracts with ten of Carver County's eleven cities" to handle municipal prosecution.[^1] - **Civil Division.** Its listed duties include "data privacy compliance under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act."[^1] The same office is therefore responsible for data-practices compliance and for the charging decisions that, under its 2018 statement, determine when investigative data stops being confidential.[^1][^6] In his 2022 campaign Metz said: "My priority as county attorney has always been to protect public safety through our prosecution, alternative treatment courts and relationships with our justice partners."[^13] ## When The county's own pages give two different start dates: - **Staff page:** the header reads "elected 2010, re-elected 2014, 2018."[^12] - **Biography:** gives 2011 as the start of his elected service.[^2] The two are consistent with an election in 2010 followed by taking office in 2011, but neither page says so. He was unopposed in 2014.[^4] He was reelected unopposed in 2022 for a fourth term.[^3][^14] The 2018 sequence ran as follows: - **February 9:** the office opposed release of the Prince data.[^5] - **April 19:** the investigation closed with no criminal charges.[^8] - **April 20:** the county published the file, seventy days after the February statement.[^7] - **May 19:** a citizen petition seeking a grand jury was started.[^15] ## How Minnesota Statutes § 13.82, part of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (chapter 13), classifies active criminal investigative data as confidential.[^6][^16] In its February 2018 objection, the office tied the end of that confidentiality to the county attorney's own decision to charge or decline. The request it opposed came from Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, acting for Prince's estate.[^5] The team that investigated Prince's death included Chief Deputy County Attorney Peter Ivy, Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud, and Detectives Chris Wagner and Chris Nelson. Detective Wagner wrote a 64-page report.[^7] ## How many | Item | Figure | |---|---| | Office staff | 34 employees, including 19 attorneys[^1] | | Cities using the office for municipal prosecution | 10 of Carver County's 11[^1] | | 2018 Prince file: reports | Hundreds, totalling over 200 pages[^7] | | 2018 Prince file: other material | Thousands of photographs and videos[^7] | | 2018 Prince file: total size | 15 gigabytes[^7] | | People who accessed the 2018 file | More than 40,000[^7] | | Verified signatures on the 2018 petition | 4,431[^15] | ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue record lists one pair for this office. It is filed against a March 2025 presidential action on eliminating information silos.[^17] The pair consists of the office's February 9, 2018 statement and the statutory classification it relies on.[^5][^6] The record shows the following: - The data stayed confidential until a charging decision was made. - The county attorney made that decision. - The data that could be used to evaluate the decision was withheld until the decision was made. - No outside party appears in that sequence. - Seventy days after the objection, and one day after the declination, the same office's records were published in full.[^5][^7][^8] The record does not establish why the office took either position. On May 19, 2018, Gloria Rott started a Change.org petition addressed to Metz and to U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald.[^15][^18] It asked that "a Grand Jury investigation be undertaken to uncover the complete truth about the death of Prince Rogers Nelson" and listed twelve alleged investigative failures.[^15] These are allegations in a citizen petition. No court, agency or auditor adopted them, and no grand jury was convened.[^15] ## In the Minnesota record ### What **The State's affirmative-action law.** On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] issued release No. 26-21. It is titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's "Affirmative Action" Regime*. Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^19] That action is against the State. **The Hennepin County investigation.** On May 5, 2025, the Department announced a civil rights investigation (DOJ 25-469) into another county prosecutor, the [[Hennepin County Attorney's Office]]. The investigation concerned that office's *Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants*, effective April 28, 2025.[^20] The policy stated that "proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age."[^21] The record lists the matter as closed in February 2026 after the policy was amended. It notes that closure does not foreclose private remedies.[^20] See [[DOJ Civil Rights Division investigation of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (race in prosecutorial decisions)]]. ## Notes [^1]: Carver County Attorney's Office, *Office Overview* (undated) — role "similar to that of an in-house corporate counsel"; contracts with ten of eleven cities; Civil Division data-practices duties; 34 employees, 19 attorneys. https://www.carvercountymn.gov/departments/county-attorney/office-overview [^2]: Carver County, *Mark Metz, County Attorney* (undated) — official biography: "elected Carver County Attorney since 2011"; "reelected to his fourth term in 2022"; adjunct professor; Urban Board, Eighth District Bar, Lawyer's Board roles. https://www.carvercountymn.gov/departments/county-attorney/mark-metz-county-attorney [^3]: Hometown Source, *Local election results for Carver County* (Nov. 2022) — Metz unopposed, 99.3 percent. https://www.hometownsource.com/laker_pioneer/news/local-election-results-for-carver-county/article_be3c2ba6-5fee-11ed-92b0-f3b20408bc9a.html [^4]: Sun Patriot / hometownsource.com, *Q&A — Carver County Attorney* (2014) — transparency statement; prior McLeod and Carver assistant service; unopposed in 2014. https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_patriot/news/local/q-a---carver-county-attorney/article_e118028a-0fdf-5cad-be0a-17bfffb06e64.html [^5]: FOX 9, *Carver County attorney objects to releasing data about Prince's death* (Feb. 9, 2018) — the office's stated position, verbatim; data sought by Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben for the estate. https://www.fox9.com/news/carver-county-attorney-objects-to-releasing-data-about-princes-death [^6]: Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, *Minn. Stat. § 13.82, Law Enforcement Data* — active criminal investigative data classified confidential. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.82 [^7]: Chanhassen Villager, *Behind the Prince investigation: Following every lead* (2018) — file of hundreds of reports over 200 pages, thousands of photos and videos, 15 gigabytes; over 40,000 accesses; investigation team. https://swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/news/public_safety/behind-the-prince-investigation-following-every-lead/article_20126cb4-11cc-51d7-b461-8daa93e8b8b1.html [^8]: Star Tribune, *Carver County closes Prince death investigation with no criminal charges* (Apr. 2018) — declination. https://www.startribune.com/carver-county-closes-prince-death-investigation-with-no-criminal-charges/480252103 [^9]: Mitchell Hamline School of Law, *Mark Metz* faculty biography (undated) — William Mitchell graduate; clerk to Judge James A. Morrow; argued before the Minnesota Supreme Court. https://mitchellhamline.edu/biographies/?person=mark-metz [^10]: Chanhassen Villager, *Carver County Attorney elected president of Minnesota County Attorneys Association* (Dec. 2021) — elected December 2, 2021; board member since 2014; association's self-description. https://swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/news/community/carver-county-attorney-elected-president-of-minnesota-county-attorneys-association/article_9f20ce30-5cec-11ec-9cf9-fb34316ec553.html [^11]: Minnesota County Attorneys Association, *Carver County Attorney Mark Metz to Lead the Minnesota County Attorneys Association* (Dec. 2021) — association's announcement. https://mcaa-mn.org/news/589524/Carver-County-Attorney-Mark-Metz-to-Lead-the-Minnesota-County-Attorneys-Association.htm [^12]: Carver County Attorney's Office, *Staff Information* (undated) — Chief Deputy and division managers; header "elected 2010, re-elected 2014, 2018." https://www.carvercountymn.gov/departments/county-attorney/staff-information [^13]: Chanhassen Villager, *Carver County Attorney Mark Metz seeks a fourth term* (2022) — campaign statement of priorities. https://swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/news/election/carver-county-attorney-mark-metz-seeks-a-fourth-term/article_a4e5a8d2-b4fc-11ec-b068-9363a6a9c04c.html [^14]: Ballotpedia, *Mark Metz (Carver County Attorney, Minnesota, candidate 2022)* — 2022 candidacy. https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Metz_(Carver_County_Attorney,_Minnesota,_candidate_2022 [^15]: Change.org, *Undertake a Grand Jury to Investigate Prince's Death* (started May 19, 2018) — petition by Gloria Rott; 4,431 verified signatures; demand and twelve alleged failures; allegations only. https://www.change.org/p/mark-metz-county-attorney-carver-county-attorney-s-office-petition-for-grand-jury-to-investigate-prince-s-death [^16]: Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, *Minn. Stat. ch. 13, Government Data Practices* — the act containing § 13.82. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13 [^17]: The White House, presidential action on eliminating information silos (Mar. 2025) — the anchor against which the at-issue pair is filed. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^18]: Star Tribune, *Petition will ask for grand jury investigation into Prince's death* (2018) — coverage of the petition. https://www.startribune.com/petition-will-ask-for-grand-jury-investigation-into-prince-s-death/492140331 [^19]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's "Affirmative Action" Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — title; Attorney General Bondi's certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^20]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *U.S. Department of Justice Announces Civil Rights Investigation into Consideration of Race in Prosecutorial Decisions* (May 5, 2025) — investigation of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (DOJ 25-469). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-department-justice-announces-civil-rights-investigation-consideration-race-prosecutorial [^21]: Hennepin County Attorney's Office, *Negotiation Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants* (eff. Apr. 28, 2025) — policy text. https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Negotiation-Policy-for-Cases-Involving-Adult-Defendants.pdf