"I hope they have a pair in my size."
Yes, we've been teased with this before — from the Feds as well as local authorities — but this time
it's real and moving forward.
U.S. District Judge Murray Snow ruled during a Thursday telephone conference that he will initiate a civil contempt of court proceeding against the six-term Maricopa County sheriff during a four-day mini trial in April.
At issue is the big buffoon's foot dragging. According to the
Arizona Republic story, Judge Snow said "he was fed up with Arpaio's defiance of the court's orders." At the top of that list is the court's
finding in 2013 that the Sheriff's "sweeps" are discriminatory — deputies goose stepping through a neighborhood or workplace, rounding up suspicious (i.e., brown) people. Based on the case brought by the ACLU, Snow ruled that the Sheriff’s Office "systematically" singled out Latinos in traffic stops and immigration patrols, which is wrong
and expensive,
costing millions in lawsuits.
Judge Snow, in a 59-page list of reforms, ordered Arpaio to end the discriminatory practices and stop hunting undocumented persons, because immigration is a federal responsibility, not his. The Judge also ordered Arpaio to turn over police tapes from traffic stops, and he appointed a monitor to make sure the Sheriff's Office complies with the requirements.
But soon after the order, Arpaio boasted to the media and his tea bagging supporters that he'll continue his bigoted practices, which he did. Heck, he used taxpayer dollars to appeal Judge Snow's ruling, and he launched an investigation of the authorities who prosecuted him. Harrumph!
Further, Sheriff Arpaio withheld the requested videos, destroying some of the evidence, and he balked at working with the court-appointed monitor. Like Gov. Jan Brewer sticking her finger in President Obama's face, Arpaio likes nothing more than defying Obama, Holder, and the Feds in general. And his toadies eat it up. The "Obama is out to get me" BS is a big part of Arpaio's fund raising.
His attorneys say it's all a mistake, we overlooked a couple things, and "America's Toughest Sheriff" really wants to play ball, but does anyone believe that? Stall, stall, poke more fingers. Raise more money. At the April trial, Arpaio could face a fine or even jail, as he prepares to run again for Maricopa County Sheriff in 2016, when he'll be 84.