10 Key Findings From The Civil Contempt Ruling Against Sheriff Joe Arpaio

On May 13 U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow found Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and three others in civil contempt of court for violating court orders that stemmed from a long-standing racial profiling case.

In a 162-page order, Snow concludes that Arpaio and others deliberately violated court orders and acted in bad faith, paving the way for a possible referral to a prosecutor to pursue criminal contempt charges.

Click to read more about 10 of Snow’s many findings from the 162-page ruling:

1. Defendants intentionally violated court orders.

2. Arpaio and Sheridan both made “multiple intentional misstatements of fact while under oath.”

3. Arpaio had his deputies ignore the 2011 preliminary injunction because he believed it would help his re-election.

4. Arpaio's confidential informant Dennis Montgomery purported to investigate Snow, and Arpaio's testimony to the contrary was not credible.

5. Arpaio attempted to conceal Montgomery’s records from the court.

6. At least 157 immigrants were wrongfully detained by MCSO and turned over to federal agents for deportation, and will need to be compensated.

7. MCSO failed to conduct adequate internal investigations into officer misconduct, and some completed internal investigations must be voided.

8. No other deputies were disciplined for the items in Armendariz’s garage despite evidence others were involved.

9. Individuals who were not named as defendants in the contempt case also violated court orders, including one of the sheriff’s lawyers.

10. MCSO may have put surveillance on a witness in order to see if she was giving information to the Phoenix New Times.

Snow is the same judge who ruled in 2013 that the sheriff’s immigration enforcement tactics racially profiled Latino motorists. Snow ordered sweeping changes at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, including new training, protocols, body cameras and an independent monitor to oversee compliance.

But the following year, new evidence surfaced showing the sheriff’s office never implemented a pre-trial preliminary injunction Snow issued in 2011. The order forbade officers from detaining suspected unauthorized immigrants who could not be charged with any state crimes. Because the sheriff’s office had disregarded the order, the illegal detentions continued for 17 months. It also became apparent that sheriff’s deputies had been recording videos of traffic stops for years, but those videos had not been turned over to plaintiffs before the trial — a violation of the rules of discovery. Furthermore, the sheriff and his staff bungled the judge’s instructions in May 2014 for how to recover video footage from deputies once its existence was known.

Snow cited those three violations when he ordered a civil contempt of court evidentiary hearing in April 2015. The hearing dragged into the fall when the sheriff’s lawyers missed deadlines for completing internal investigations and turning over documents, plus new information surfaced, creating new lines of inquiry. Ultimately there were more than 20 days testimony in the contempt hearing, which concluded on November 20.

Almost six months later, Snow filed his findings of fact and conclusions of law on May 13. The sheriff’s lawyers have indicated they disagree with some of the findings. All the parties are supposed to submit responses May 27 and then will meet on May 31 for a hearing to discuss remedies. Snow rejected a request from the sheriff’s attorneys’ for an extension.