Mary Moriarty
Contributor
Mary Moriarty was elected Hennepin County Attorney, the chief executive of Minnesota’s largest public law office, in 2022. As County Attorney, Moriarty manages a staff of over 500 people with an annual budget of $69 million. She previously served as Hennepin County’s first female Chief Public Defender for six years, and as a public defender for 25 years before that. An independent 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. During the trial of Derek Chauvin, Moriarty provided on-air legal commentary and analysis to various local and national media outlets including MSNBC, BBC, CBS, FOX, and TPT. She majored in history and political science at Macalester College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.
