Arizona

US ‘Pattern or Practice’ Suit Says Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Office Discriminated Against Latinos

An Arizona sheriff who calls himself the country’s toughest is overseeing an office that routinely discriminates against Latino residents and retaliates against critics of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, contends a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Arizona by the United States government. It contends that the Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff’s…

May 10, 2012 6:16 PM CDT

Defiant After Disbarment Ruling, Ex-Maricopa Attorney Andrew Thomas Compares Himself to Gandhi

Defiant after a Tuesday disbarment ruling by an Arizona Supreme Court disciplinary panel, a former Maricopa County attorney said in a Wednesday press conference that he is an innocent victim of a corrupt political and legal system. Andrew Thomas also complained that he wasn’t properly defended because the Maricopa County…

Apr 11, 2012 11:48 PM CDT

Ex-Maricopa County Attorney and Deputy Disbarred by Ariz. Disciplinary Panel; 3rd Lawyer Suspended

A three-member disciplinary panel of the Arizona Supreme Court disbarred a controversial former Maricopa County Attorney and one of his former deputies and suspended another former deputy county attorney for six months and a day, saying the trio misused their prosecutorial powers for political purposes. The Tucson Citizen provides a…

Apr 10, 2012 6:21 PM CDT

DOJ Threatens to Sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Civil Rights Violations

The U.S. Justice Department is threatening to sue a controversial Arizona sheriff for civil rights violations because of his treatment of Hispanics. The department’s civil rights division revealed a possible lawsuit after settlement talks broke down with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, according to Reuters and the Washington Post. “We…

Apr 4, 2012 12:43 PM CDT

Arizona AG Says Disgruntled Prosecutor ‘Conjured Up’ Accusations of Campaign Violations

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is denying allegations that he worked illegally with an independent campaign committee that ran attack ads against his opponent in 2010. Horne said a disgruntled employee “conjured up” the allegations, the Arizona Republic reports. The complaint by former prosecutor Don Dybus was filed in February…

Apr 3, 2012 1:29 PM CDT

ABA Urges Supreme Court to Overturn Ariz. Law Requiring Immigration Checks of Some Arrestees

The ABA has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn part of a controversial Arizona law that requires immigration status checks for some people who are stopped or arrested. The ABA brief urges the court to rule that four enjoined provisions are pre-empted by federal immigration…

Apr 2, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Sheriff Arpaio’s Pink-Underwear Policy May Violate Rights of Unconvicted Inmates, 9th Circuit Says

A nationally known Arizona sheriff’s requirement that inmates at his jail don pink underwear could be unconstitutional, as far as those not yet convicted of a crime are concerned, a federal appeals court says. But the comment in a written opinion by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of…

Mar 8, 2012 12:27 AM CST

Ariz. Supreme Court Affirms Decision Keeping Candidate Off Ballot Because of Poor English Skills

The Arizona Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling keeping a local candidate off the ballot because her English language skills are lacking. The two-page order by the Arizona Supreme Court didn’t detail reasons for the decision, report the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Yuma Sun and…

Feb 8, 2012 4:17 PM CST

BofA Borrowers Sign Confidentiality Pacts Before Getting Loan Modifications, Ariz. AG Says

The Arizona Attorney General’s office is asking a judge to block confidentiality agreements signed by borrowers who get mortgage modifications from Bank of America. Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne says the agreements are impeding his office’s investigation of the bank’s Countrywide Financial unit, according to the Phoenix Business Journal and…

Jan 27, 2012 2:03 PM CST

Federal Prosecutor Will Take the Fifth in Congressional Fast and Furious Probe

A federal prosecutor subpoenaed to testify in the congressional probe of Operation Fast and Furious will assert has Fifth Amendment rights and decline to testify. Lawyers for Patrick Cunningham, chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona, notified the House Oversight Committee about the decision not…

Jan 20, 2012 2:11 PM CST

Detained Immigrant Sues Sheriff Arpaio, Claims She Was Shackled During C-Section

A detained immigrant claims in a lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that she was shackled during a C-section in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Miriam Mendiola-Martinez was pregnant when she was arrested on an identity theft charge for using someone else’s identity to obtain a cleaning job at…

Dec 21, 2011 7:28 PM CST

Feds Blast Ariz. Sheriff Arpaio, Saying He Fueled Widespread Discrimination Against Latinos

The U.S. Department of Justice accused Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday of sweeping racial profiling against Hispanics during traffic stops, immigration proceedings and in county jails. The 22-page report follows more than three years of federal investigations, including reviews of thousands of pages of documents and more than…

Dec 15, 2011 11:32 PM CST

2nd-Degree Murder Charge Dropped Against Lawyer in Pharmacy Parking Lot ‘Road Rage’ Incident

A second-degree murder case has been dropped against Arizona criminal defense attorney David Appleton, 59. He was charged earlier this month in the fatal shooting of another motorist in a pharmacy parking lot, in what has been reported as a road-rage incident. “We’ve asked the Scottsdale Police Department for some…

Nov 22, 2011 12:36 AM CST

Friends Say Jailed Attorney Charged in Alleged Road-Rage Death Is ‘Gentle,’ Acted in Self-Defense

An Arizona criminal defense lawyer is confined in the Maricopa County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond, charged with second-degree murder after an alleged road-rage incident in Scottsdale last week in which he is accused of killing a fellow motorist. But friends of David Appleton, 59, call him a “most…

Nov 15, 2011 7:39 PM CST

Ariz. Criminal Defense Attorney Is Charged with 2nd-Degree Murder in Road-Rage Incident

An Arizona criminal defense lawyer was charged Friday with second-degree murder after allegedly slaying a fellow motorist in a road-rage incident the previous evening. Police said attorney David Ross Appleton, 59, told them that victim Paul Thomas Pearson, 50, tailgated his Toyota SUV and followed him into a pharmacy parking…

Nov 14, 2011 5:55 PM CST