Hennepin County Expungements: What You Need to Know
More and more people are wanting to clear their record as new laws are passed allowing more cases to get expunged. If you are one of those people who wants to clear your record, you may have questions about your case. I frequently get questions about Hennepin County in particular. Many of the principles of expungement apply across the State. But there are a few considerations that differentiate Hennepin County from other counties. This blog post will talk about a few things to keep in mind for a Hennepin County expungement.
Juvenile Expungements Have a Separate Process
If you have a Hennepin County juvenile adjudication, you do not necessarily need to petition for expungement in court. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office rolled out a new program in 2025 that allows you to ask their office directly for an expungement. If they agree to expunge your case, you have no need to pay for a lawyer or court fees, they will do that for you. If the Hennepin County Attorney denies your expungement, it is recommended that you reach out to an expungement attorney. Petition a court for expungement of a juvenile case uses different legal factors than adult court.
A Referee Will Likely Be Handling Your Expungement Hearing
In most counties across the state, it is guaranteed that a judge will be presiding over your expungement case. Most counties only have judges as judicial officers. But Hennepin County also has referees. Referees do not have the same authority to issue orders as judges, but they can make recommendations to a judge to issue an order. It has been Hennepin County’s practice to use referees for expungement hearings. Hennepin county has 13 referees which is more than any other county in the state. Part of the strategy in Hennepin County that differs from other counties is taking into account that a referee will be overseeing the case. Each case is different, but referees findings can have a tendency to be more technical. Referees schedules are sometimes focused to only specific areas of the law, so they have more ability to be technical. Contrast that with a judge in a rural county who is required to know little bits of every type of law from juvenile to family, to civil litigation. Knowing this can factor into how one approaches arguing the case before the referee, as opposed to arguing before a judge.
Conclusion
If you want to expunge your Hennepin County case you want an attorney who is knowledgeable, experienced, and well versed in the law on expungements and pardons. There are many attorneys in the state of Minnesota who offer to do expungements and pardons, but don’t practice in the area enough to know the intricacies of the law and how to utilize that to their client’s advantage. Contact Jack Rice Defense today for a free consultation. 651-447-7650
Peter Lindstrom
Peter is the head of the appellate and expungement departments at Jack Rice Defense. He has successfully expunged cases involving challenging issues with DWI, felony, and violence against family member cases. At the district court level, he has tried two felony jury trials to verdict, and successfully dismissed a felony gun case on 4th amendment grounds. Peter is particularly known for his intelligence, creativity, and legal acumen.
