We have previously discussed the abusive tenure of former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and his unethical conduct in conjunction with Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In a triumph of ethical ethics, a three-member disciplinary panel of the Arizona Supreme Court has now issued a 247-page opinion (below) disbarring Thomas and one of his former deputies, Lisa Aubuchon, as well as suspending another former deputy county attorney (Rachael R. Alexander) for six months and a day for prosecutorial abuse. In the action, the Arizona Bar not only upheld the integrity of its membership of lawyers but all lawyers. In response, Thomas has denounced the decision and compared himself to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. The bar seems to have a different image in mind. It began its analysis with this quote from Proverbs 12:15–17: “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.”
Thomas’ Gandhi-like record is a bit less inspiring than the original Mahatma:
Several prior landmarks provide background and context to this man’s story: earning a law degree from a prestigious school, joining a prominent law firm, moving into the heights of the governmental corridors of power, suddenly falling from such lofty position, safely landing with a political appointment, resigning to run for state office and a far more personal fall in losing, being hired by a multi-term county attorney but tasked to do menial entry level work, observing Lisa Aubuchon during a new employee training, running for office and winning, hiring Rachael Alexander in his first year in office and perhaps committing to do whatever he determined was necessary to remain there.
The panel also found that the two acted with dishonesty and failed to cooperate with an Arizona State Bar investigation, the Phoenix New Times’ Valley Fever blog reports.
Rachel Alexander, a less experienced lawyer with the county, was punished for her role in working on a controversial federal civil racketeering lawsuit against judges and other county officials, the Arizona Republic reports.
Thomas, Aubuchon and Alexander all skipped this morning’s hearing, the Valley Fever post notes.
However, Thomas reacted afterward, the Republic reported:
Calling the decision a “travesty,” Thomas said: “Today, corruption has won, and justice has lost. I brought corruption cases in good faith involving powerful people, and the political and legal establishment blatantly covered up and retaliated by targeting my law license. Arizona has some of the worst corruption in America, according to a recent national survey. The political witch hunt that’s just ended makes things worse by sending a chilling message to prosecutors: Those who take on the powerful will lose their livelihood.”
The opinion is a bit heavy on quotations from Aristotle to Eisenhower to Winston Churchill to Shakespeare. The opinion would have been greatly advanced without the famous quotations book. The opinion could have used a strong editor and a reduction in the rhetorical flourishes. It takes 5 pages to get to the preface and 24 pages to get to the prologue.
Atmospherics asides, the opinion drills down on the serious unethical conduct committed by these lawyers in engaging in prosecutorial abuse. This includes the finding that “Mr. Thomas and Ms. Aubuchon engaged in perjury, a criminal act that reflects adversely on their honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer.” Not only is Thomas portrayed as a man destroyed by his own ambition and lack of ethics, but Auchuchon fares little better with the panel noting “Mr. MacDonnell and others straightforwardly informed Mr. Thomas that Lisa Aubuchon was in a fundamental way not ethically capable.”
Here is the opinion: 0410Thomas-Aubuchon
Thomas has not said whether he will appeal but he has promised to write a book. If so, he insists that he is in good company: “People like Gandhi, people like Dr. King, people like Solzhenitsyn, people like Thomas More, people who stood for something….and I’m going to stand firm.”
Source: Tucson Citizen as first seen on ABA Journal.
Thomas may have read Gandhi’s biography ‘Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi And His Struggle With India’ authored by former New York Times executive editor Joseph Lelyveld – who claimed that Gandhi had love affair with a Jewish gay Dr. Hermann Kallenbach in South Africa….
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/gandhi%E2%80%99s-secret-love-for-jews/
Gene H:
“As to Arpio? His day is coming. The dots in the news that haven’t been fully connected yet – although the Professor points to them – are that it was Arpio’s office that conducted the investigations that got this clown disbarred and fired.”
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Follow the money and work your way up the food chain.
Mike A:
Touche’
Perhaps Mr. Thomas was confusing Gandhi with Gotti.
I am surprised there is common sense in Arizona! It is the sun, right?
Hey Joe!
Welcome to the blog!
The only thing this clown had in common with Ghandi was they were both lawyers. Since Ghandi is dead and Thomas is disbarred, my use of the past tense is intentional.
Anon,
You sure the hell got that wrong. He was just doing his job as well as the assistant. Why what shame you must bare for speaking I’ll of Sheriff Joe. You back stabbing traitor. I bet Benedict is your hero.
If I recall, even the AZ Republic’s reporting at the time made clear Thomas’ behavior was atrocious.
I am amazed that he doesn’t go slink off silently. He almost seems to believe he was in the right.
And yeah, of all the things he’s been accused of and yet never taken him down, I am surprised Arpaio has not been touched by this in any significant manner.
The quote from Proverbs aptly demonstrates why the rhetorical flourishes diminish the opinion: Ms. Alexander’s defense was that she was pushed into doing the work based on the assurance that a senior prosecutor would be providing her with oversight and advice and that she relied on that advice.
In what appears to be another flaw, the panel wrote: “the ‘why’ of the conduct is not a required finding…”. But many of the charges explicitly require such a finding (e.g., charges that Mr. Thomas and Ms. Aubuchon acted solely to harass or embarrass).
I understand that the panel’s statement can be interpreted to avoid this potential flaw, but my point is that the panel’s rhetoric serves to divert attention from the facts and place attention on the panel.
Gandhi did stay out of the bar. Sounds like Thomas will stay out of the bar too. Pubs maybe not.
Gandhi or MLK?
ROFLMAO! Ahhhhh. If only every day could begin with such a good belly laugh . . .
As to Arpio? His day is coming. The dots in the news that haven’t been fully connected yet – although the Professor points to them – are that it was Arpio’s office that conducted the investigations that got this clown disbarred and fired. Since “if it bleeds, it leads” is the mainstream media mantra, some outlet (other than FOX) will pick up this ball and run with it soon enough. There’s blood in them shark infested waters.
I share agreement in Professor Turley’s comments about the fluff in the opinon as being mostly un-necessary, however having seen myself the type of official misconduct the opinion brings to light first hand it was refreshing at least to me to read the last footnote of the opinion and see it put into words as it was. Always deplorable to see such baseness in some officials.
As AY said, now it’s time for Arpaio to go.
“I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks, May 1849
One, Two.. Now Aripo…