A federal judge ruled that the independent oversight of the Maricopa County Sheriff Office that started twelve years ago will continue — for now.
Read more The Lost Boys of Sudan Aren’t Boys Anymore
In a long, , U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow denied a motion filed by Maricopa County and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to end the years-long federal monitorship stemming from a class action racial profiling lawsuit that began under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
“Plaintiffs are immensely relieved that Defendants’ premature move to end reforms has been denied. Any other decision would have had a devastating impact on Maricopa County’s Latino residents,” said Christine Wee, senior staff attorney for the ACLU Arizonain a press release. “Simply put, MCSO is not ready for the court-ordered reforms to end,” added Wee, who represents the plaintiffs.
The county and Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan’s office did not respond to requests for comment in time for this story.
In oral arguments in June, lawyers for the sheriff’s office and the county argued that the sheriff had complied with enough of the reforms to end the independent oversight and that for it to continue would be an overreach of the federal government. They also argued that maintaining the monitorship had been a large financial burden on the county and taxpayers.
But Snow disagreed. He denied the motion without prejudice, which means the county and sheriff’s office can file similar arguments again in the future.
During the oral arguments, Snow seemed unlikely to end the monitorship but seemed open to lifting some of the requirements because of the length of the case. He made the same offer in his ruling.
Read more Charlie Kirk’s death sparks bizarre conspiracies into his murder
“When the Court issued its First Order, it could not have anticipated either the breadth of the remedial measures that would ultimately prove necessary or the duration of these proceedings,” he wrote. “Although the passage of time alone does not guide the Court’s analysis, the Court recognizes the burdens that continued monitoring may impose when it is no longer necessary in light of sustained compliance.”
He flagged 27 provisions that he deemed “appropriate for termination,” and another 57 that he “may be appropriate for “inactive” status.” He ordered the two parties to meet and see if they could come to an agreement.
Arpaio’s “Papers Please” brand of law enforcement using draconian racial profiling measures such as openly stopping motorists for looking Latino sparked intense scrutiny around the country and was the blueprint for the Trump administration’s immigration and deportation efforts.
Last fall, Snow had to put an end to in-person public community meetings to discuss the case after participants became rowdy, flipping the bird and threatening violence. The public hearings moved online after that. The last public hearing was held at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse for safety precautions. A group of enraged residents at the hearing – resentful of the monitorship and wearing junior deputy clipped to their shirts – talked in the court benches among themselves about how the judge should be killed.
The decision doesn’t come as a surprise to many people watching the case closely. Snow indicated in the past that he was not enthusiastic about the idea about ending the oversight regimeT.
The case also made news when Sheridan and Republican county leaders claimed that the reforms were causing the county to hemorrhage money — to the tune of $350 million. But they wouldn’t provide documentation to prove their accounting after an audit showed they’d misattributed $150 million towards implementing the reforms.
Read more Charlie Kirk lives a second life as the star of sick brain rot videos