A Mesa in Arizona: Judge Finds Basis for Contempt Sanction Against Arpaio
jonathanturley
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is fighting with another judge and this one seems ready to hold him in contempt in Mesa, Arizona. While Arpaio routinely disregards and even investigates local judges who oppose his controversial policies or actions, here, he picked the wrong fight with a federal judge this time. U.S. district judge Murray Snow has formally found grounds for sanctioning Arpaio for the acknowledged destruction of records in a lawsuit involving racial profiling.
The case centers on Arpaio’s use of volunteers and deputies to sweep through Latino areas in search of immigration violators and other offenders. His officers admit to deleting their e-mails about the patrols and throwing away and shredding officers’ records of traffic stops made during the sweeps.
Snow will decide on sanctions later but ordered a new deposition of Arpaio.
