# County attorney *Elected chief prosecutor of a Minnesota county.* A **county attorney** is the chief prosecutor of a county in [[Minnesota]], which is one of six states that use that title for the office.[^1] Chapter 388 of Minnesota Statutes governs the office. Section 388.051 lists among its duties to "appear in all cases in which the county is a party" and to prosecute felonies.[^2] Under § 8.01, the [[Minnesota Attorney General]] may appear for the state in any county at the county attorney's request.[^3] The offices describe themselves in their own words, and their outputs are also on the record. The Carver County Attorney's Office says the county attorney "serves in a role that is similar to that of an in-house corporate counsel."[^4] On April 28, 2025, the [[Hennepin County Attorney's Office]] put into effect a written negotiations policy for adult defendants. The policy stated that "proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age."[^5] The [[United States Department of Justice]] opened a civil rights investigation of the office, DOJ 25-469, on May 5, 2025. It closed the investigation in February 2026 after the policy was amended. The closure does not foreclose private remedies.[^6] The office's federal exposure sits within a wider federal action against the State. On January 14, 2026, DOJ issued release No. 26-21, titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*. Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified that case as a matter of general public importance.[^7] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages finds no other U.S. state so described.[^7] ## Who **Hennepin County.** Mary Moriarty has been Hennepin County Attorney since 2023.[^8][^9] Her predecessor, Michael O. Freeman, held the office for 24 years across two tenures.[^10] The [[University of Minnesota]] Law School profiled him as Hennepin County Attorney on January 31, 2020.[^11] [[Amy Klobuchar]], now a U.S. senator, is a former Hennepin County Attorney.[^12] Paul Ostrow, a former [[Minneapolis]] City Council president, ran for Hennepin County Attorney in 2022.[^13] MinnPost described him in July 2022 as "an assistant county attorney for Anoka County in the criminal division." It added that he had served three council terms with "a stint as council president."[^14] His Minnesota Reformer author page, as of December 2022, stated that he "has been assistant Anoka County attorney for 12 years."[^15] **Ramsey County.** County Attorney John Choi was re-elected in 2022 with 137,761 votes, or 97.7 percent. In the same election, Sheriff Bob Fletcher received 136,429 votes, or 96.4 percent.[^16] **Washington County.** Doug Johnson was honored in December 2010 on leaving the office after 24 years.[^17] Pete Orput succeeded him in January 2011.[^18] In 2010, Orput was profiled as an assistant Hennepin County attorney since 2006. The profile also listed him as a former Department of Corrections general counsel and a former deputy and assistant Minnesota attorney general.[^19] The county's release, reported on April 4, 2022 at his death, stated that he was elected in 2010, 2014 and 2018. It also stated that he had been an assistant county attorney in Mille Lacs, Carver, Hennepin and Dakota counties.[^20][^21] On June 7, 2022, the county board voted to appoint Kevin Magnuson, who had joined the office in 2019.[^22] Magnuson was sworn in on June 15, 2022 by Judge Juanita C. Freeman. He was the sole filer for the seat and had Orput's January endorsement.[^23] **Dakota County.** James Backstrom was hired as an assistant county attorney in August 1978 by John O. Sonsteng. He became head of the Civil Division in May 1982.[^24] He was appointed county attorney in September 1987.[^25] He retired after 33 years as the longest-serving county attorney in the county's history; the previous record was twelve years.[^26] **Carver County.** County Attorney Mark Metz sits on the MCAA Board of Directors.[^27] Seeking a fourth term in 2022, he 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."[^28] He was re-elected unopposed that year with 99.3 percent.[^29] ## What Across U.S. jurisdictions, the local chief prosecutor: - decides which charges to file, and when and where; - directs investigations; - may grant immunity and negotiate pleas; - in many places, defends the county in civil suits and advises local government.[^1] Minnesota's statute assigns the county attorney both roles: appearing for the county as a party and prosecuting felonies.[^2] The Carver office's Civil Division duties include "data privacy compliance under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act." Its Criminal Division prosecutes for most of the county's cities under contract.[^4] County attorneys also hold a seat on the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. On October 26, 2016, the commission chair introduced Orput as "the newly appointed county attorney member."[^18] In Washington County, the East Metro Sex Trafficking Task Force is run out of the county attorney's office.[^30] ## When - **1920–1930.** [[Floyd B. Olson]] was hired as an assistant county attorney in 1919. He became Hennepin County Attorney in 1920 after the removal of William Nash, was re-elected in 1922 and 1926, and served to 1930. He was Governor of Minnesota from January 6, 1931 until his death in office on August 22, 1936.[^31] - **March 30, 2016.** Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that no charges would be brought against Officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze in the Jamar Clark shooting. He cited forensic evidence, including Clark's DNA on an officer's gun.[^32] - **May 2020.** Governor Walz appointed [[Keith Ellison]] lead prosecutor in the George Floyd case, bypassing Freeman.[^33] - **September 8, 2021.** The Ramsey County Attorney's Office held a press conference on non-public-safety traffic stops.[^34] - **April 28 and May 5, 2025.** The Hennepin negotiations policy took effect, and DOJ opened its investigation.[^5][^6] - **June 2, 2026.** Candidate filing closed in Carver County with the county attorney unopposed. A five-candidate sheriff primary was set for August 11, 2026.[^35] ## How The office is filled by county election, often without opposition. The project's Ramsey County history records that both offices holding charging and arrest authority were re-elected effectively unopposed in 2022.[^16] Carver County's county attorney was unopposed in 2022 and again at the 2026 filing deadline.[^29][^35] The state campaign finance disclosure site lists filings for John Choi's county attorney committee for 2011, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.[^36] ## How much Magnuson took the Washington County seat in June 2022 at a salary of $190,500.[^23] ## How many **Ramsey County.** The 2022 Ramsey County results came in a county of 552,352 people.[^16] **Carver County.** The office has 34 employees, 19 of them attorneys. It contracts with ten of the county's eleven cities for municipal prosecution.[^4] **Washington County.** A June 2021 sting by the task force produced charges against seven men: five for underage prostitution and two for electronic communication with a minor.[^30] **Sentencing Guidelines Commission.** At Orput's first meeting on October 26, 2016, he seconded a permissive-consecutive motion that carried 5–4.[^18] ## In the at-issue record **Hennepin negotiations policy.** The project's at-issue record sets the April 28, 2025 Hennepin negotiations policy beside a January 2025 presidential order on discrimination.[^5][^37] See [[At issue 011 - On April 28, 2025 the Hennepin County Attorney's]] and [[DOJ Civil Rights Division investigation of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (race in prosecutorial decisions)]]. **Freeman's disqualification.** The record states that on September 11, 2020, Judge Peter Cahill disqualified Freeman and three of his staff from the George Floyd cases after staff met with the medical examiner.[^38] It also states that the disqualified county attorney still supplied "strategic advice and coordination" to the replacement prosecution team.[^38] See [[At issue 003 - Michael O. Freeman held the Hennepin County Attorney's]] and [[At issue 022 - A county attorney disqualified from his own case]]. **Earlier Hennepin history.** The record states that Hennepin County Attorney William Nash was acquitted by a federal jury on July 3, 1920. It states that he was removed by the governor twenty-eight days later, and that the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] upheld the removal.[^38][^31] It also states that the office's succession from 1852 to 1955 cannot be reconstructed from public sources, and that information before 1918 is "scattered."[^38] See [[At issue 017 - Hennepin County Attorney William Nash was acquitted by]] and [[At issue 023 - The complete succession of the Hennepin County Attorney's]]. **County governance.** In Hennepin County, the sheriff and county attorney are separately elected. The medical examiner, auditor-treasurer and recorder are appointed by the county board.[^38] See [[At issue 054 - Hennepin County's Sheriff and County Attorney are separately]]. **Federal fraud prosecutions.** In the child-nutrition fraud prosecutions, the United States was the initiating party. [[Aimee Bock]] was sentenced to 500 months, and Judge Brasel told her: "This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it." More than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites had opened across Minnesota. The record finds that no such prosecution by any Minnesota county attorney appears in the public record.[^39] See [[At issue 006 - Aimee Bock 500 months. Judge Brasel This was]]. **A removal petition.** A separate entry concerns a citizen petition to remove a county attorney. The petition was filed by a person she had charged and dismissed and reportedly carried about 2,000 signatures; it led to a fourteen-day gubernatorial hearing.[^40] The county attorney and her attorney walked out after being denied a one-month postponement. The commissioner then granted a six-week continuance, saying the issues "would not be fully and fairly aired" without her participation.[^40] The commission found malfeasance and did not recommend removal.[^40] Among the allegations proved before it and held not to be malfeasance was that she made false statements to the media about how often the children had been interviewed.[^38] **Immunity and summary judgment.** In the related litigation, absolute or quasi-judicial immunity was granted to: - the guardians ad litem; - the therapists; - the court-appointed counsel; - the local police officer. Summary judgment was reversed in favor of the county attorney, the sheriff and a deputy.[^41] **Klobuchar's tenure.** APM Reports reported in March 2019 on Klobuchar's record as county attorney in police-killing and brutality cases.[^42] The Star Tribune compiled the police-involved deaths during her tenure.[^43] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *County Attorney* (rev. 1370115149, retrieved 2026-10-27) — general duties of the local prosecutor; Minnesota among states using the title "county attorney". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Attorney [^2]: Office of the Revisor of Statutes, *Minnesota Statutes, chapter 388* — county attorney; § 388.051 duties. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/388 [^3]: Office of the Revisor of Statutes, *Minnesota Statutes, § 8.01* — Attorney General may appear for the state in any county upon the county attorney's request. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/8.01 [^4]: Carver County Attorney's Office, *Office Overview* — self-description; contracts with ten of eleven cities; 34 employees, 19 attorneys; Civil Division duties. https://www.carvercountymn.gov/departments/county-attorney/office-overview [^5]: Hennepin County Attorney's Office, *Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants* (eff. April 28, 2025) — policy text. https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Negotiation-Policy-for-Cases-Involving-Adult-Defendants.pdf [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *release announcing civil rights investigation into consideration of race in prosecutorial decisions* (May 5, 2025) — investigation DOJ 25-469 of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office; per the pack's case record, closed February 2026 after the policy was amended. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-department-justice-announces-civil-rights-investigation-consideration-race-prosecutorial [^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — title of the release; Attorney General's certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^8]: Hennepin County, *official site* — Mary Moriarty, Hennepin County Attorney (2023–present). https://www.hennepin.us/ [^9]: Ballotpedia, *Mary Moriarty* — Hennepin County Attorney (2023–present). https://ballotpedia.org/Mary_Moriarty [^10]: KARE 11, *Mike Freeman on 24 years as Hennepin County Attorney* — length of Freeman's service. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/mike-freeman-reflects-on-24-years-hennepin-county-attorney/89-987eccc7-6700-4de1-8cb7-839c6fa89952 [^11]: University of Minnesota Law School, *Asked & Answered: Mike Freeman '74: Hennepin County Attorney* (Jan. 31, 2020) — profile. https://law.umn.edu/news/2020-01-31-asked-answered-mike-freeman-74-hennepin-county-attorney-more-two-decades [^12]: Office of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, *official site* — U.S. Senator, former Hennepin County Attorney. https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/ [^13]: Star Tribune, *Former Minneapolis City Council president runs for Hennepin County attorney* (2022) — Ostrow candidacy. https://www.startribune.com/former-minneapolis-city-council-president-runs-for-hennepin-county-attorney/600140217 [^14]: MinnPost, *Meet the Hennepin County Attorney candidate: Paul Ostrow* (July 2022) — Anoka County criminal division; council service. https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2022/07/meet-the-hennepin-county-attorney-candidate-paul-ostrow/ [^15]: Minnesota Reformer, *Paul Ostrow author page* (December 2022) — bio line. https://minnesotareformer.com/author/paulostrow/ [^16]: Ballotpedia, *Bob Fletcher* — 2022 Ramsey County results (Fletcher 136,429, 96.4%; Choi 137,761, 97.7%), as cited in the project's Ramsey County history, which supplies the county population and the "effectively unopposed" description. https://ballotpedia.org/Bob_Fletcher [^17]: Patch (Oakdale), *Outgoing Washington County Attorney honored* (December 2010) — Doug Johnson, 24 years. https://patch.com/minnesota/oakdale/an--outgoing-washington-county-attorney-honored [^18]: Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, *Approved Meeting Minutes* (Oct. 26, 2016) — Orput introduced as county attorney member, serving since January 2011; motion carried 5–4. https://mn.gov/msgc-stat/documents/meeting%20materials/October2016/Approved_MSGC_Minutes_26_Oct_2016.pdf [^19]: Republican Eagle, *County attorney hopefuls bring varied backgrounds* (Aug. 6, 2010) — Orput's listed prior positions. https://www.republicaneagle.com/news/government/county-attorney-hopefuls-bring-varied-backgrounds/article_f42faff6-cb0b-5f75-8cf8-a440eafe5da3.html [^20]: Stillwater Gazette, *County Attorney Orput dies* (Apr. 4, 2022) — county release: prior county service; elections 2010, 2014, 2018; Magnuson endorsement. https://www.hometownsource.com/stillwater_gazette/news/local/county-attorney-orput-dies/article_adfe702e-b3c7-11ec-8d16-eb4a57c7dd70.html [^21]: CBS Minnesota, *Washington Co. Attorney Pete Orput dies at 66* (2022) — same county release text. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/washington-co-attorney-pete-orput-dies-at-66/ [^22]: Star Tribune, *Kevin Magnuson appointed to county attorney seat* (June 2022) — June 7, 2022 board vote; joined 2019. https://www.startribune.com/kevin-magnuson-appointed-to-county-attorney-seat/600180112 [^23]: Patch (Stillwater), *Magnuson Sworn In As New Washington County Attorney* (June 15, 2022) — swearing-in, salary $190,500, sole filer, endorsement. https://patch.com/minnesota/stillwater/magnuson-sworn-new-washington-county-attorney [^24]: Sun ThisWeek, *Citing health, Backstrom announces retirement* — hired August 1978; Civil Division head May 1982. https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_thisweek/community/dakota_county/citing-health-backstrom-announces-retirement/article_b7e84db0-51fa-11eb-b122-f302b8e1d1bb.html [^25]: CBS Minnesota, *James Backstrom, longtime Dakota County attorney, announces retirement* — appointment September 1987. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/james-backstrom-longtime-dakota-county-attorney-announces-retirement/ [^26]: KSTP, *Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom to retire next month after 33 years on the job* — longest-serving; prior record twelve years. https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/dakota-county-attorney-james-backstrom-to-retire-next-month-after-33-years-on-the-job/5972253/ [^27]: Carver County Attorney's Office, *Mark Metz, County Attorney* — official biography; MCAA Board of Directors. https://www.carvercountymn.gov/departments/county-attorney/mark-metz-county-attorney [^28]: Chanhassen Villager, *Carver County Attorney Mark Metz seeks a fourth term* (2022) — Metz statement. https://swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/news/election/carver-county-attorney-mark-metz-seeks-a-fourth-term/article_a4e5a8d2-b4fc-11ec-b068-9363a6a9c04c.html [^29]: hometownsource.com, *Local election results for Carver County* (2022) — Metz unopposed, 99.3%. https://www.hometownsource.com/laker_pioneer/news/local-election-results-for-carver-county/article_be3c2ba6-5fee-11ed-92b0-f3b20408bc9a.html [^30]: CBS Minnesota, *7 charged in Washington County sex trafficking sting* (2021) — task force run from the county attorney's office; charges. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/7-charged-in-washington-county-sex-trafficking-sting/ [^31]: Wikipedia, *Floyd B. Olson* — Olson's county attorney and gubernatorial service; succession after Nash's removal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_B._Olson [^32]: Hennepin County Attorney's Office, *Clark decision* (Mar. 30, 2016) — no-charge decision and stated grounds. https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2016/March/cao-clark-decision-3-30-2016 [^33]: CBS News, *Keith Ellison to lead George Floyd case prosecution* (2020) — appointment of Ellison over Hennepin County Attorney Freeman. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/keith-ellison-george-floyd-case-prosecution/ [^34]: Ramsey County Attorney's Office, *Non-public-safety traffic stops* press conference (Sept. 8, 2021). https://www.ramseycountymn.gov/your-government/leadership/county-attorneys-office/news-updates/press-conferences/non-public-safety-traffic-stops [^35]: hometownsource.com, *Carver County races set; sheriff's race will see August primary* (2026) — filing closed June 2, 2026; county attorney unopposed; sheriff primary August 11, 2026. https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_patriot/community/carver-county-races-set-sheriffs-race-will-see-august-primary/article_0e2f362a-8bfe-4d71-b57f-1bd2cc6598d6.html [^36]: Minnesota campaign finance disclosure site, *John Choi for County Attorney* filings (2011, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026). https://www.pec.state.mn.us/ [^37]: The White House, *Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity* (January 2025) — the at-issue record's anchor for entry AI-011; the order does not itself document the Hennepin policy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/ [^38]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — the at-issue record's anchor for entries AI-003, AI-017, AI-022, AI-023, AI-054 and AI-Scott-056; the order does not itself document the county facts set beside it. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^39]: The White House, *Trump Administration's Full-Scale War on Fraud* (May 2026) — the at-issue record's anchor for entry AI-006. https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/05/trump-administrations-full-scale-war-on-fraud/ [^40]: The White House, *Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud* (March 2026) — the at-issue record's anchor for entries AI-Scott-053 and AI-Scott-055; the removal-hearing facts rest on the project's dossier §III.2. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/establishing-the-task-force-to-eliminate-fraud/ [^41]: The White House, *Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establ