A new policy in Hennepin County, Minnesota, that lets prosecutors think about racial identity in plea deals has caused a stir at the U.S. Department of Justice. They’re poking around to see if the office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary F. Moriarty is doing something shady by considering race in their decisions. Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division, dropped a bombshell about the investigation on X (formerly known as Twitter). Media outlets like KSTP and the Minnesota Star Tribune are all over this juicy story.
The policy went live on April 28 and states that racial identity and age should be part of the analysis when coming up with plea deals. While these factors shouldn’t be the main focus, they should still be taken into account. Moriarty, who seems to be all about addressing racial disparities, mentioned to KSTP that she wants her prosecutors to check themselves for unconscious bias. But is this policy crossing the line? The DOJ wants to find out if the county attorney’s office is violating people’s rights under the U.S. Constitution or laws. The office is playing nice and promising to cooperate with the investigation, while also insisting that their policy follows the law. Let’s see how this drama unfolds.
Not really sure why this matters, but the policy in Hennepin County seems to be ruffling some feathers. The DOJ is snooping around to see if there’s any funny business going on with how prosecutors are factoring in race when making plea deals. Moriarty is all about tackling racial disparities, so this policy is her way of trying to make things right. But the big question is whether this is all above board or if there’s some shady stuff happening behind the scenes. The county attorney’s office is saying they’re in the clear and will play nice with the investigation. Only time will tell if this policy is a game-changer or just a bump in the road.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this whole situation is like a big soap opera unfolding in Hennepin County. The DOJ is like the detective trying to crack the case of whether prosecutors are bending the rules by considering race in plea deals. Moriarty is playing the role of the reformer, wanting to address racial disparities head-on. But now, with the feds poking around, it’s anyone’s guess how this story will end. Will the county attorney’s office come out squeaky clean, or will there be some skeletons in the closet? Stay tuned for the next episode of “Justice Drama: Hennepin County Edition”!
