A federal judge is debating consequences for Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio and three top deputies in a racial profiling case where they were recently found in contempt of court.

Simultaneously, the immigrant rights group Puente Human Rights Movement and allies protested outside the federal courthouse in Phoenix where the hearing was taking place, calling for criminal charges against Arpaio and his deputies. The group has also called for Arpaio’s arrest.

U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow was also supposed to hear arguments by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona about how to compensate the hundreds of Latino drivers the court found to have been unlawfully stopped and detained by Maricopa Sheriff’s Office deputies, according to a Reuters article on The Huffington Post. 

The ACLU of Arizona filed a memorandum with the court on Friday, suggesting Snow to issue a referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate Arpaio and Maricopa Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan for criminal contempt and other possible violations of federal law, such as perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the court-appointed monitor, among other recommendations.

On May 13, Snow found Arpaio and three of his top deputies guilty of civil contempt, saying they ignored court orders. “The Court finds that the Defendants have engaged in multiple acts of misconduct, dishonesty, and bad faith with respect to the Plaintiff class and the protection of its rights,” the judge wrote, according to the ACLU of Arizona. “They have demonstrated a persistent disregard for the orders of the Court, as well as intention to violate and manipulate the laws and policies regulating their conduct.”

The ACLU sued the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in 2007, and after three weeks of trial it was found that the sheriff’s office violated constitutional rights engaging in unlawful traffic stops and racially profiling Latinos, the ACLU says. On October 2, 2013, Snow issued an order mandating “necessary changes by Arpaio and his agency to prevent continued misconduct and safeguard the community from future violations of their constitutional rights,” according to the ACLU.

Arpaio and his top deputies continuously ignored the court’s orders, which triggered recent contempt of court hearings.   

The Reuters article on the Huffington Post says this case has cost Maricopa County taxpayers roughly $41 million, with another $13 million budgeted for the next fiscal year, according to officials.

This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2016.

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15 replies on “Federal Judge Debates How to Punish Joe Arpaio for Contempt of Court in Racial Profiling Case”

  2. Punish them, don’t hold your breath. The way things seem to be going in this country if Donald Drumph wins look for Joe Arpaio to be the next head of Homeland Security. Oh by the way, if you want to waste a lot of time online, try finding out the origin of Sherriff Joe’s family name, but be warned you better have really good span filters.

  3. In response to “We can’t solve the World’s Problems,” I have this to say.
    Most of the people stopped were American Citizens, for nothing other than looking “Hispanic.”
    Disguised as courtesy stops.
    My stinky butt.
    They were racially motivated stops.

  4. Give him a medal for doing his job and dining it well. No one else has the guts the Sheriff Joe has.

  5. WHEN THE LORD COMES BACK, THERE WILL BE NO DIVISIONS, NO RACISM, NO HATE, NO WALLS TO SEPARATE THE HUMAN RACE FROM EACH OTHER. OUR FATHER GOD LOVES ALL OF US UNCONDITIONALLY NO MATTER WHAT RACE WE ARE. WE ARE ALL MADE IN HIS IMAGE. AN IMAGE OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE NO MATTER WHAT DIFFERENCES WE HAVE. WHEN WE STAND BEFORE OUR HEAVENLY JUDGE. JESUS, SOMEDAY, JUSTICE WILL BE TRULY SERVED.

  6. If doing your job involves being held in contempt of court, you’re doing it wrong. Send him to tent city; they’d love to have him as a guest.

  7. Contempt of congress and courts is very much in vogue these days and if Joe is truly guilty of this he joins an interesting group, mostly liberals, it would seem.

    Joe would make great governor for Arizona and a contempt indictment would give him high marks in the Democratic Party.

    Meanwhile, leave him alone and let him continue his fine work.

  8. Bisbee boy, so you consider harassing American citizens for no good reason to be “fine work?” What standards led you to that conclusion?

  9. Make him pay back the tax $$ that went to defend him- scandalous. Send him to his own jail, make him wear PINK everything and let the inmates do the punishment. Fascist that he is!

  10. In 2012 Arpaio won by only 80k votes. Hispanic’s make up about 30% of the voting age population in Maricopa county but only around 40% of them actually voted, much lower turnout than other social/cultural groups in the county. If Hispanic voters in Maricopa county voted at the same rate as the rest of the electorate, it is more than likely that Joe would not have been re-elected. There is a price for political apathy. This is what happens. Vote! Legal remedies are always lagging and can only address the bad shit that has already happened. Voting can prevent that bad shit. JUST VOTE!

  11. To “let the walls come down”……..YES, PRAY FOR JESUS, BUT VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP!!!

  12. Why is nobody asking how many White Minority drivers were stopped for “no apparent reason”. This is the new racial profile of America.

  13. We are safer if they stop everybody. The opposition wants nobody stopped. That can’t happen since the President stopped securing the border. Once again he caused it.

  14. for starters, require arpaio et all to cover all court costs … then, of course, financially compensate every victim for their trouble and the police terror they endured

  15. OMG – $54 MILLION dollars!? Way to go Joe – you are an official waste of money.

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