Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Guilty of Criminal Contempt, Sentencing in October
Former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial sheriff who lead a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office found to have racially profiled Latinos in criminal and immigration law enforcement, has been guilty for criminal contempt. In a ruling released yesterday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton concluded that the evidence demonstrated that Arpaio “willfully violated" a "clear and definite order" "by failing to do anything to ensure his subordinates' compliance and by directing them to continue to detain persons for whom no criminal charges could be filed. Because the Court finds that Defendant willfully violated an order of the court, it finds Defendant guilty of criminal contempt."
Sentencing is set for October 5. Arpaio, 85, faces up to six months in jail.
Judge Bolton (order here Download USA_v._Arpaio_et_al__Docket_N) liberally inserted the lawman’s public remarks, mostly issued through news releases and media clips, to support her opinion. The ruling is the latest chapter in a decade-long racial-profiling case that began after allegations that Arpaio’s deputies were targeting Latinos in immigration-enforcement operations.
Click here for the Washington Post story on the ruling.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund released the following statement about the Arpaio ruling:
KJ
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2017/08/sheriff-joe-arpaio-guilty-of-criminal-contempt-setnecing-in-.html