Equal justice under the law? Not in Hennepin County, Minnesota—at least not if County Attorney Mary Moriarty has her way. Her controversial directive to prosecutors to consider race when negotiating plea deals has triggered a full-scale investigation by the Department of Justice.

In a letter dated May 2, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle, and Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon informed Moriarty that her “Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants” could amount to a civil rights violation. The policy instructs attorneys to weigh a defendant’s racial identity in plea decisions, with the goal of “identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points.”

The DOJ’s response was swift. Officials are now probing whether the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is systematically depriving citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed rights by using race as a deciding factor in prosecutions. Dhillon shared the letter publicly on X, signaling how seriously the administration is taking this apparent breach of the Equal Protection Clause.

Critics across the country are calling the policy blatantly racist—and they’re not wrong. The notion that justice should be colorblind isn’t just a slogan. It’s a cornerstone of the American legal system, enshrined in both statute and moral tradition. But for Moriarty, a progressive prosecutor who rose to prominence after the George Floyd riots, ideological activism appears to be a higher priority than blind justice.

It’s not the first time she’s come under fire. As RedState has previously reported, Moriarty has a pattern of controversial decisions—including her refusal last month to press charges against a staffer for Democrat Governor Tim Walz who allegedly vandalized multiple Tesla vehicles. The Trump administration has identified Tesla vandalism as a form of “domestic terrorism” and vowed nationwide accountability.

Yet in Minnesota’s largest county, prosecutorial discretion is being twisted into something unrecognizable. By explicitly urging her team to treat suspects differently based on race, Moriarty is undermining one of the most sacred principles of our legal system: that all people should be judged by their actions, not their identity.

Conservatives are pushing back, and not just with outrage. Republican officials across Minnesota have condemned Moriarty’s race-based policy as both immoral and illegal. And with the DOJ now involved, her future in office could be in serious jeopardy.

The issue isn’t whether racial disparities exist. The issue is how we respond to them. The answer is better policing, community engagement, and economic opportunity—not rewriting the rules of prosecution to favor some races over others.

What Moriarty is advocating is not progress. It’s regression—back to an era where justice wasn’t neutral, where guilt or innocence could be decided by the color of your skin. That’s the kind of system Americans have fought for generations to overcome.

It’s not just un-American. It’s dangerous. And thankfully, under the Trump administration, the DOJ is taking action.

Attorney General Bondi summed it up clearly: “The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring equal treatment under the law for every American. No one—no matter their race—should face a different standard of justice.”

That’s not controversial. That’s common sense. And in 2025, it’s also become a revolutionary act.