Attorney General Keith Ellison said he suspects that the recent suspension of Mary Moriarty, the chief public defender in Hennepin County, was “connected to her advocacy for racial justice.”
According to several news reports, the Minnesota Board of Public Defense informed Moriarty of her paid suspension on December 23 “pending a review of issues that have been brought to the attention of members of the Board of Public Defense.”
“There will be no further comment until the investigation is completed,” a spokesperson for the board told the Associated Press.
Moriarty told MPR News that her suspension was related in part to issues that were discussed with her at a recent board hearing. During the hearing, Moriarty said she was accused of using inappropriate language, being inflexible, having “excessive absences” without explanation, and fostering a “culture of fear” in her office.
“If somebody is claiming there’s a culture of fear, that’s something that should be addressed immediately, I would think,” Moriarty said. “Nobody had ever had a conversation with me that there were any concerns of this nature.”
Moriarty has spent 30 years as a public defender and frequently speaks out against racial injustices in the criminal justice system. After her suspension, she claimed on Twitter that she was questioned during the hearing about retweeting posts on the official Hennepin Public Defender Office account from the Equal Justice Initiative.
These tweets discussed America’s “history of racial injustice,” and in one case told the story of a 65-year-old black man who was lynched in Mississippi for arguing with a white man.
On this day in 1933, a 65-year-old black man named Reuben Micou was lynched in Mississippi for arguing with a white man. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. Share this #racialinjustice https://t.co/DI6EdSq0e3
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) April 2, 2019
Attorney General Ellison called Moriarty one of the “most principled people” he knows and questioned the motives for her suspension.
“I’m concerned about her treatment; it appears connected to her advocacy for racial justice,” he said.
I’ve known @MaryMoriarty, Hennepin County Public Defender, for 30 years. First woman in the job. One of the most principled people I know. I’m concerned about her treatment; it appears connected to her advocacy for racial justice. https://t.co/XYdYni1Nhh
— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) December 24, 2019
“Our beloved Minnesota has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation,” Ellison wrote in another tweet. “Leaders like Public Defender Mary Moriarty who draw attention to these injustice in order to fix them should be applauded, not punished.”
Our beloved Minnesota has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation. Leaders like Public Defender @MaryMoriarty who draw attention to these injustices in order to fix them should be applauded, not punished. https://t.co/jg7Vw5WX4q
— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) December 24, 2019
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
