Commissioner Toddrick S. Barnette was born and raised in the Anacostia neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. He attended The George Washington University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology in 1988. Following graduation, Commissioner Barnette considered pursuing a graduate degree in criminal justice, but on the advice of mentors decided to go to law school.
Commissioner Barnette attended The University of Minnesota Law School, where he earned his juris doctorate in 1992. During law school, Commissioner Barnette worked for the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office as a law clerk. After graduation, he joined the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office as an attorney. He handled a variety of misdemeanor and felony cases and spent a significant portion of his career handling juvenile delinquency and child protection cases. From 2001 to 2004, Commissioner Barnette was the senior attorney supervisor in the Drug Court Unit.
After 14 years with the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office, Commissioner Barnette joined the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office as a senior assistant county attorney in the Juvenile Division. There, he prosecuted all types of delinquency cases. He had a special focus on certification of juveniles as adults and “extended jurisdiction juvenile” cases. Commissioner Barnette was also responsible for the Criminal Sexual Conduct Team within the Juvenile Division.
On February 6, 2006, Commissioner Barnette was appointed to the Hennepin County Judicial District Court. He served as the Presiding Judge of Drug Court for two years. He has twice served as the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division. Judge Barnette was elected Assistant Chief Judge by his collogues in 2016 and 2018. He was elected Chief Judge by his collogues on May 4, 2020, and reelected to a second term in 2022. He is the first Minnesota State Court Chief Judge of color.
On September 11, 2023, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey nominated Judge Barnette to be the Commissioner of Community Safety. On October 19, 2023, Judge Barnette was confirmed by the Minneapolis City Council. He resigned as Chief Judge the next day. Commissioner Barnette’s job entails leading the city’s Office of Community Safety by managing and coordinating five departments – 911, fire, emergency management, police, and neighborhood safety – and breaking down barriers between them.