Federal Judge Susan Bolton on Thursday rejected former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s request to throw out a court criminal contempt ruling, for which he received a pardon from President Donald Trump.
Bolton found Arpaio guilty of contempt for ignoring a 2011 order by Judge Murray Snow.
Jack Wilenchik, attorney for Arpaio, said they expect to challenge the ruling. Wilenchik added, “My client views it as resistance to the President’s pardon.”
Arpaio’s attorneys argued that the “2011 temporary Order was not clear as to whether the Sheriff’s Department could still cooperate with federal immigration officers by turning over illegal aliens who were apprehended for violating some other law, i.e. during the course of a lawful stop, which was and is a “common practice” by law enforcement agencies in southern Arizona, according to the testimony of the Special Agent in Charge of the Casa Grande Station at the time, who testified at trial.”