REGION.

>> Cathy: IN JUST A FEW MINUTES WE'LL BRING YOU A DEBATE OVER PAID FAMILY LEAVE, DR. MIKE OSTERHOLM WILL JOIN US AT THE TABLE IN STUDIO AND SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH.

BUT FIRST UP BIG NEWS FROM THE HENNEPIN COUNTY LEGAL WORLD.

>> WE START TONIGHT WITH THE STORY OF ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON TAKING OVER THE PROSECUTION OF A HENNEPIN COUNTY MURDER.

HERE'S SOME QUICK BACKGROUND.

ELLISON DISAGREED WITH THE CHARGING STRATEGY OF HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY IN A JUVENILE CASE INVOLVING JUVENILE SUSPECTS.

GOVERNOR WALZ -- MINUTEPOST DOM ABOUT HOW ELLISON'S STANCE HAS CHANGED SINCE LAST OCTOBER ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

HE - DURING THE CAMPAIGN, ELLISON DEFENDED THE RIGHT OF COUNTY ATTORNEYS TO HAVE INDEPENDENCE AND HIS OPPONENT JIM SCHULTZ SAID I'M GOING TO GO IN THERE TO HENNEPIN COUNTY AND CLEAN THINGS UP.

>> YEAH, REPUBLICAN JIM SCHULTZ ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TALKED ABOUT WANTING TO AGGRESSIVELY PROSECUTE DIAGRAM AND IF NEED BE IN HIS VIEW GO INTO COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICES AND PROSECUTE WHERE HE FELT THEY WEREN'T BEING TOUGH ENOUGH.

THIS WAS AN IDEA THAT KEITH ELLISON REALLY SPOKE OUT AGAINST.

HE SAID JIM SCHULTZ IN AN INTERVIEW WITH ME ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, HE SAID JIM SCHULTZ WAS TRYING TO STOMP ALL OVER COUNTY PROSECUTORS, HE SAID COUNTY PROSECUTORS DON'T WORK FOR ME, WE WORK TOGETHER.

SO HE SORT OF AMADE A POINT OF SAYING THEY SHOULD HAVE SORT OF AUTONOMY TO PURSUE THESE CASES AND ESPECIALLY TO KEEP A GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COUNTY ATTORNEYS AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE HE SHOULDN'T STEP IN.

HAS JIM SCHULTZ ALSO FLOATED A LAW CHANGE TO SAY PERHAPS HE COULD GO IN ON CASES WITHOUT PERMISSION OF COUNTY ATTORNEY OR THE GOVERNOR AND OF COURSE THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AND HE DIDN'T GET ELECTED BUT KEITH ELLISON SPOKE OUT AGAINST THAT AS WELL.

>> SO ELLISON KIND OF HAS FLIP-FLOPPED HERE, WHAT ARE APPLICABLES BEHIND THIS?

>> WELL, HE DID ENDORSE MARY MOREORTRY AND WHAT HE SAID IN THIS CASE WAS JUST THAT HE FELT THAT THE PROSECUTORIAL DECISIONS WAS SO FAR OUTSIDE OF THE NORM AND COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS, HE WAS AT A LISTENING SESSION WITH THE FAMILY RECENTLY AND THEY'D BEEN SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THIS.

AND HE SAID HE THINKS IT SHOULD BE A RARE MOVE FOR HIM TO DO THIS SORT OF THING AND HE TALKED ABOUT HE HAS RESPECT FOR THE VOTERS OF HENNEPIN COUNTY BUT HE JUST FELT LIKE HIS WAS KIND OF STRAYING TOO FAR AND THAT'S WHY HE WANTED TO STEP IN.

AND IN FACT HE DID ASK MARY MOREARTRY FIRST IF HE CAN STEP IN AND SHE ECLINED, THAT'S WHEN HE WENT TO GOVERNOR WALZ TO ASK FOR PERMISSION.

>> DO YOU THINK BIG PICTURE MORIARTY AND ELLISON AS THAT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE IN VIEW OF PROSECUTORS IN US CASES OR JUST AN HONEST DISAGREEMENT >> I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT.

THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS BY MOREARTRY AND HE ISN'T STEPPED IN IN THE SAME WAY.

I TALKED TO JIM SCHULTZ AND HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE ON HIS OWN AND 40% ELLISON DID ENDORSE MOREARTRY SO ERHAPS NOT THAT MUCH SPACE POLITICALLY BETWEEN THEM BUT IN THIS INSTANCE IT SEEMS LIKE SHE WENT TOO FAR IN HIS VIEW.

>> Eric: O THE CASE HAS HAS BEEN STOPPED WITH A CONTINUEAS AND WHEN IT GEARS UP AGAIN PERHAPS IN A PLEA BARGAIN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE WILL BE BEFORE THE JUDGE AND THE JURY, RIGHT?

>> CORRECT.

>> Cathy: THIS DOES SET A PRECEDENT, RIGHT?

I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED.

ACTUALLY, IT HAPPENED BACK IN THE 19 90S, CROW WING COUNTY, IS THAT RIGHT?

>> YEAH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAID THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME HE COULD THINK OF 19 90S CROW WING COUNTY UNDER GOVERNOR RUDY PERPICH AND SKIP HUMPHREY.

BEFORE THIS HAPPENED THEY BASICALLY SAID THEY DIDN'T WANT IT TO SET A PRECEDENT, THEY DIDN'T WANT GOVERNOR WALZ TO BASICALLY GRANT THIS BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE IT DOES ALLOW SORT OF AN ATTORNEY GENERAL TO KIND OF STEP IN WHATEVER THEY WANT AND THEY WANT SORT OF COUNTY ATTORNEYS TO PROSECUTE LOCALLY AS HAS BEEN THEIR ROLE FOR A LONG TIME AND ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TOO THEY HELD THAT VIEW OF KIND OF KEEPING DECISIONS LOCALLY AND IN AN ELECTED COUNTY PROSECUTOR DECISION.

>> WALKER HAS A VERY GOOD STORY ON