Judge orders civil contempt hearing for Arizona lawman Arpaio

Judge orders civil contempt hearing for Arizona lawman Arpaio

Controversial Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio and his top lieutenants will face a civil contempt-of-court hearing in April for repeatedly ignoring judicial orders arising from a 2007 racial-profiling case, a federal judge ruled on Thursday. U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ordered the evidentiary hearing to be conducted after determining there was sufficient evidence to move ahead with the proceeding that could result in penalties against Arpaio, four other individuals, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. "After an appropriate hearing, the Court will determine whether these individuals have committed contempt of court and the sanctions for any such violations," Snow's order read.

It's about time something to be done about this racist who poses as a sheriff. He should have been in jail a long time over the beating, crippling and the wrongful death of prisoners while under his watch. I'm sure there are quite a few prisoners that would love to share a cell with him.

Arpaio has a good legal staff.

He is the Citizens' Sheriff.

a reply to: buster2010

Wow Buster why don't you tell us how you really feel?

Living in AZ i'm quite happy with Arpaio, prison shouldn't be all sunshine and unicorns. Cages and hard labor for all criminals citizens or not!

a reply to: buster2010


Somebody has to deal with our illegal alien problem here in Arizona since the Feds won't.

a reply to: thesaneone
I don't live there.
How's Arpaio's system been working out for you? Illegal entries all gone?

a reply to: buster2010

Arpaio must be doing something right, Stevie Nicks lives in AZ and that's good enough for me! Ummm and on racial profiling, a Chinese guy cuts off the head of another guy, so we should be looking for an Arab? Did I get that right? Aren't most of the illegals coming across the Mexican border, errr, Mexican? Is it profiling to use your eyes?

Wow, Bizzarro World again LOL

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

Ummm and on racial profiling, a Chinese guy cuts off the head of another guy, so we should be looking for an Arab?

That's not profiling, that is looking for a witnessed suspect. Profiling would be looking for a Chinese man if there were no witnesses.

Did I get that right? Aren't most of the illegals coming across the Mexican border, errr, Mexican?

Ergo, anyone who looks Mexican is a suspect and should immediately provide proof of citizenship. "Your papers please." Got it. Because everyone knows American citizens don't look like that.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: bobs_uruncle

Ummm and on racial profiling, a Chinese guy cuts off the head of another guy, so we should be looking for an Arab?

That's not profiling, that is looking for a witnessed suspect. Profiling would be looking for a Chinese man if there were no witnesses.

Did I get that right? Aren't most of the illegals coming across the Mexican border, errr, Mexican?

Ergo, anyone who looks Mexican is a suspect and should immediately provide proof of citizenship. "Your papers please." Got it. Because everyone knows American citizens don't look like that.

It seems profiling occurs whether there are witnesses or not. BTW, I certainly realize there are a lot of good legal immigrants along the US/Mexico border, but, if one is looking for illegal immigrants there, I don't think they would be asking a lot of red headed and freckled irish LOL. The judge has bug up his ass called Obama, but then he's a federal judge isn't he?

They should have just had me put up the fence I proposed, it would have saved a lot of trouble, but then Obama got in and the bleeding hearts went rabid.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

I don't think they would be asking a lot of red headed and freckled irish LOL

Real funny. I guess you think American citizens should be stopped and forced to prove that they are citizens because they look Mexican then. Got it. Isn't that sort of NWOish?

They should have just had me put up the fence I proposed, it would have saved a lot of trouble, but then Obama got in and the bleeding hearts went rabid.

I see.
That's why you like Arpaio. His little jaunt to Hawaii on his taxpayers dime.

a reply to: Phage

Instead of hypotheticals, straw mans, and irrelevant bashing, how about YOU propose a better idea of how to deal with the illegals. Do you even live in AZ.. been here? Have even the slightest clue what it's like or what you are talking about? Cmon lil fella, step down off your pedestal and be productive.

a reply to: doompornjunkie

Instead of hypotheticals, straw mans, and irrelevant bashing, how about YOU propose a better idea of how to deal with the illegals.

Not my job. Not Arpaio's either. The law doesn't work, we know that. It's up to Congress to do something about it. But I do know it's not as simple as a lot of simple minded people seem to think.


I already said I don't live there.
I also asked how well Arpaio's "system" has been working. How has it?

a reply to: buster2010

Now, I know I'm not your biggest fan or anything (vice versa, I presume) but, I read this with an open mind.

In the latest ruling, Snow said attorneys for the Latino drivers had shown "sufficient evidence" to warrant the contempt hearing on a range of grounds, including failing to stop immigration enforcement operations as ordered by the court.

The primary charge is that he has failed to stop "immigration enforcement operations". If that means pulling people over with no cause, I don't see how it could be considered "immigration enforcement operations" by the court. Something is fishy in the language chosen here.

If he is being targeted for continuing to conduct some more reasonable strategy to identify illegals in the normal course of duty and refer them to ICE, that's another story, especially if that has been the policy for a long time.

I am open minded about this but, if the charges are essentially the result of the policy of the federal government to not enforce our existing immigration law (I really don't know), it would not surprise me that this might infuriate Arizonans and indeed, Americans.

a reply to: Phage

It IS Arpaios job as sherrif to enforce the laws, crossing the boarder ILLEGALLY is well... ILLEGAL. Am I missing something?

If it wasn't for the simple minded leftist (see what I did there?) crying whenever a criminal is forced to sleep in a cage instead of wasting tax payers money on luxuries for them, his system would work a lot better.

The illegals hate him. That's actually a good thing.

dupe post

a reply to: greencmp

if the charges are essentially the result of the policy of the federal government to not enforce our existing immigration law (I really don't know)

They aren't.

The judge found in 2013 that Arpaio and his deputies racially profiled Latino drivers during traffic stops and unreasonably detained them, violating their constitutional rights, in a ruling that was a major blow to the six-term sheriff.

Snow installed a court monitor to oversee the operations of Arpaio's office and ordered that changes be made to help ensure there is no repeat of the offenses.

a reply to: Phage

I saw that and I almost just moved along but, it is the fact that the court has referred to that as "immigration enforcement operations" that concerns me.

That sounds to me like false arrest and false imprisonment, very different and very serious charges that would immediately put him on leave until the matter is investigated. That is not what is happening.

a reply to: greencmp

No. It sounds like he was violating the rights of citizens and was told to stop and he didn't.

a reply to: Phage

So, if he put you in prison for no reason you would be happy if the court just asked him to stop doing it? You don't think that he would be arrested for committing a crime?

a reply to: greencmp
Sheriffs don't put people in prison.

originally posted by: doompornjunkie
a reply to: buster2010

Wow Buster why don't you tell us how you really feel?

Living in AZ i'm quite happy with Arpaio, prison shouldn't be all sunshine and unicorns. Cages and hard labor for all criminals citizens or not!

Ditto.
Had some friends go to tent city for DUI. It was enough for them to ensure a safe ride home after that.