BOSTON — Rachael Rollins, the former Suffolk County district attorney who became infamous for issuing a memo directing her office not to prosecute 15 categories of crime — including shoplifting, trespassing, drug possession and breaking and entering — has pulled papers to run for the job again.
The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth confirmed Wednesday that Rollins filed the paperwork to collect signatures for a run at Suffolk DA, the same office she held from 2019 to 2022 before President Biden tapped her to become the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts.
That appointment didn't end well.
Forced out
Rollins resigned as U.S. Attorney in May 2023 after a Department of Justice Inspector General investigation found she had committed a range of misconduct in office. Among the findings: Rollins used her position to sabotage the campaign of Kevin Hayden, the man who replaced her as Suffolk DA — the same office she now wants back. Hayden just happens to be her opponent. He is also dealing with his own controversies. Just last month, he drew overwhelming backlash for charging Boston police Officer Nicholas O'Malley with manslaughter for an on-duty shooting — a move critics have called politically motivated ahead of his reelection campaign.
Still, Rollins's own record makes Hayden's problems look minor by comparison. A separate investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found multiple Hatch Act violations and called her conduct among the "most egregious transgressions" of the law the office had ever investigated.
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The IG report also found that Rollins solicited and accepted 30 free tickets to a Boston Celtics game, accepted flights and a stay at a luxury resort from a sports and entertainment agency, routinely used her personal cellphone for government business, continued accepting contributions to her DA campaign account after becoming U.S. Attorney, and attended a political fundraiser featuring First Lady Jill Biden without proper Justice Department approval.
Rollins did not officially comment on her bid but posted on X: "Dare greatly."
The memo
Rollins made national headlines in 2019 when she released a 65-page policy memo directing her prosecutors to decline charges by default for 15 categories of crime. The list included shoplifting, trespassing, larceny under $250, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, driving with a suspended license, breaking and entering where the only property damage was to gain entry, wanton destruction of property, drug possession, and minor in possession of alcohol, among others.
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Critics said the policy amounted to decriminalizing property crime and low-level offenses in Suffolk County. Supporters pointed to research suggesting that people whose cases were dismissed were less likely to reoffend.
The field
Rollins will face Kevin Hayden, the incumbent DA who took over when she left for the federal appointment and won a full term in 2022. Linda Champion, an attorney and adjunct professor at New England Law, has also pulled papers for the race.
Hayden has drawn his own critics — the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association blasted him just weeks ago over the manslaughter charge against Officer Nicholas O'Malley — but he has the advantage of incumbency in a race that just got a lot more interesting.
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