Moriarty is vowing to pursue and promote the policies she's championed, including with young adult offenders, for the remainder of her term.

Within hours of Mary Moriarty’s announcement that she would not seek a second term as Hennepin County attorney, the wheels were already spinning in the Twin Cities legal and political communities over who would take her place.

Moriarty plans to focus the final year and a half of her term with an enhanced focus on domestic violence cases.

The surprise announcement comes as Moriarty hopes to put more attention on the reform efforts of her office than the controversies that have swirled around some of her charging decisions.