Joe Arpaio saga isn’t over: Judge to decide if his conviction stands
President Trump’s pardon last Friday of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of criminal contempt for violating court orders in a civil rights lawsuit, continues to make news.
The Arizona Republic reports that U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton canceled former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s upcoming sentencing hearing for his criminal contempt-of-court conviction. However, Judge Bolton stopped short of throwing out the conviction as requested by Arpaio. She instead ordered Arpaio and the U.S. Department of Justice, which is prosecuting the case, to file briefs on why she should or shouldn’t grant Arpaio’s request.
Arpaio’s attorneys asked Bolton on Monday to vacate Arpaio’s conviction in light of President Donald Trump’s Friday pardon.
Bolton has scheduled oral arguments on the matter for October 4.
There is case law that says a pardon implies an admission of guilt, and that will have to be argued in open court.
KJ