BACKGROUND
John Choi is the first Korean American chief prosecutor in the nation and was sworn in as county attorney in 2011. He was previously the St. Paul city attorney.
Prior to his career in the public sector, Choi spent a decade in private practice, making partner in six years while focused on government relations, administrative law, municipal law and civil litigation.
Choi holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Marquette University and a juris doctor from Hamline University School of Law, and was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota.
ISSUES
“In November of last year [2016], Choi made history when he became the first county attorney in Minnesota’s modern history to bring criminal charges against a police officer involved in an on-duty fatal shooting.”
Source: Pioneer Press, 12/16/17
On his decision to charge Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the killing of Philando Castile: “I felt good about it because at the end of the day, I have to just do what is right. That is what the public is asking me to do. To be fair and impartial and to think about justice and to think about everybody involved, the officer, Philando Castile and his family, Diamond Reynolds, her daughter.”
Source: Pioneer Press, 12/16/17
On the not-guilty verdict for Officer Jeronimo Yanez: “It hit me like a ton of bricks when I found out it was a not-guilty on all charges. But … that is what the jury decided, and I am a big believer – and I have an obligation – to support that process.”
Source: Pioneer Press, 12/16/17
Lessons from the Yanez case: “How we train officers in the future, implicit-bias training for police as well as everybody in the executive and judicial branches of government, [appropriate] use-of-force policies.”
Source: Pioneer Press, 12/16/17
“I have taken my duty to respond to officer-involved shootings incredibly seriously during my tenure in office and have been adamant about maintaining the integrity of the process and complete transparency under the law.”
Source: ACLU of Minnesota Smart Justice Questionnaire
Opening remarks at April 8, 2016 community forum “Understanding and Responding to Mass Incarceration” at Metropolitan State University: “I don’t believe that sending drug offenders – or even drug dealers – to prison for a really long time necessarily makes our communities safer.”
Source: Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 4/2016
Supported 2016 legislative bill to reform drug sentencing to focus on sales of larger quantities and aggravating factors and lower penalties for lower-level drug offenses.
Source: Star Tribune, 4/29/16
“I do not believe incarceration is always the best way to achieve public safety. Recently, I was honored by Minnesota Lawyer as an Attorney of the Year for my leadership in bringing people together to drive drug sentencing reform which eliminated mandatory minimums, decreased incarceration for low-level drug possession and redirected savings to treatment at the local level.”
Source: ACLU of Minnesota Smart Justice Questionnaire
Recognizes the role of implicit bias: “We all have biases based upon how we were raised and our professional experiences inform our judgments and our decisions. Everybody in this world has it. It’s actually a survival mechanism, so in that context, was there implicit bias in this case? Well, I think in every context of police interaction there is that implicit bias.”
Source: Pioneer Press, 12/16/17
“We recognized long ago that every single human being has bias and it can impact the discretion our employees rely on to make decisions. We have partnered with our justice partners – judges, public defenders, corrections and others – to conduct trainings on implicit bias, offered our own, and require every employee in our office to be trained on implicit bias in hiring before they can serve on a hiring panel. We have an employee-led diversity and inclusion committee and have a strategic plan in place to increase awareness and ability to relate to people across race, class, and culture.”
Source: ACLU of Minnesota Smart Justice Questionnaire
Initiated a study in 2016 on responsiveness to sex crimes in Ramsey County, after the county’s launch of Start by Believing campaign earlier in the year. The study reviewed 646 cases from a three-year period and found a lag in investigations following reports, mistakes in investigations, lack of training, and a low level of charging of sex crimes.
Source: Pioneer Press, 4/27/18
Choi on the study findings: “I think in many ways [the study] confirms what we suspected or at least what national data suggests,” Choi said. “Many of these cases don’t end up proceeding for a number of reasons. In order for us to change any of this or to do a better job … the amount of resources that we put into these investigations [has to increase] because what we see is that the workload and caseloads for these investigations are extraordinary.”
Source: Pioneer Press, 4/27/18
