Judge rejects bid to release Arizona sheriff’s office from supervision in racial profiling case
Judge G. Murray Snow said the county has not shown sustained compliance, citing traffic-stop disparities and a backlog that fell from 2,000 cases to fewer than 300.
- On Thursday, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow rejected Maricopa County Sheriff's Office motion to end federal oversight, ruling the agency failed to establish a "durable remedy" to prevent future racial profiling.
- Federal monitorship originated from a 2007 lawsuit filed by Manuel de Jesus Ortega Melendres against former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, alleging discriminatory traffic patrols targeting Latino drivers.
- Snow questioned data submitted by the county; expert analysis of 2023 and 2024 traffic stops revealed a 4.7-minute difference in duration between Hispanic and white drivers that agency reports excluded.
- Maricopa County Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko signaled a potential appeal, while ACLU Senior Staff Attorney Christine Wee stated ending reforms would have had a "devastating impact" on residents.
- To exit oversight, the sheriff's office must achieve full compliance for three consecutive years, though Snow identified 27 provisions for termination and 57 for inactive status in a case costing taxpayers $330 million.
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41 Articles
Santa Maria Times
Independent EspañolPHOENIX (AP) — A judge who 13 years ago ruled that Hispanics had been racially labeled during Joe Arpaio's immigration raids—at that time Arizona County Chief of Police—rejected an application for...
Judge rejects bid to release Arizona sheriff's office from supervision in racial profiling case
A federal judge who ruled 13 years ago that Hispanics were racially profiled in then-Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration crackdowns has rejected a bid to end the court's supervision of the sheriff's office.
Associated Press News
Judge rejects bid to release Arizona sheriff’s office from supervision in racial profiling case
A federal judge who ruled 13 years ago that Hispanics were racially profiled in then-Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration crackdowns has rejected a bid to end the court’s supervision of the sheriff’s office.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office remains under federal oversight in Melendres case after judge rejects bid to end monitoring
Despite years of reforms and support from the Justice Department, the court found Maricopa County has not yet shown oversight is no longer necessary.
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