Infamous sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa county in Phoenix, Arizona, has been found in contempt of court for failing to uphold a previous ruling which required that he and his department curb the level of blatant racial profiling performed.
Arpaio, who has gained a reputation over the years for his racist practices in the Arizona county, recieved the initial ruling in 2007. Arpaio faces three counts of civil contempt while three other officers in his department face one each.
Judge Murray Snow found that Arpaio and the other officers were blatantly and repeatedly defying the previous ruling and that their behavior worked to “violate and manipulate the laws and policies regulating their conduct.”
“In short, the Court finds that the Defendants have engaged in multiple acts of misconduct, dishonesty, and bad faith with respect to the Plaintiff class and the protection of its rights.”
The men admitted to their crimes, though Arpaio maintains that he was not violating the previous ruling knowingly.
The hearing for these contempt charges is to be held at the end of May.
