Judge orders monitor to be appointed to
oversee Arizona Sheriff Arpaio
Published October 02,
2013
Associated
Press
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the
appointment of an independent monitor and a community advisory board to ensure
that an Arizona sheriff is complying with
constitutional requirements after finding his office engages in racial
profiling.
U.S. District Judge Murray Snow found in May that the
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office singled
out Latinos and deputies
unreasonably prolonged detentions.
It was the first finding by a court that
the agency covering Arizona's most populous county engages in
racial profiling after a small group of Latinos sued the Arpaio for violating
their constitutional rights, saying they were being detained simply because of
their race.
Snow had delayed ordering remedies in the
case to allow time for both parties to reach agreements, but disputes over key
issues prevented consensus.
In his ruling Wednesday, Snow ordered that
a monitor be appointed to oversee the agency's re-training of deputies and
ensure the Sheriff's Office is complying with constitutional requirements. Snow
also ordered the creation of a community advisory board aimed at helping restore
the public's confidence, among other remedies.
"Today's order is really going to put some
sunlight into the corners of the MCSO that have been such a problem in terms of
people's civil rights. It's a great day," said Cecillia Wang, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who
is representing the plaintiffs.
Arpaio's office had vehemently opposed the
appointment of a monitor, arguing it would mean every one of his policy
decisions would have to be cleared through the observer and would nullify his
authority.
Arpaio's lawyer, Tim Casey, said he was
still reviewing the 59-page order, but noted he was "pleased with its very
moderate sensible tone."
"The sheriff is still in exclusive charge
of the MCSO," Casey said, noting their concern all along was that the monitor
would have too much authority.
"The monitor cannot tell us what to do or
not to do," Casey said, referring to the monitor's role in the ruling as
overseeing training and procedures, among other things. "The court will make the
ultimate decision on whether or not the MCSO is in compliance with its order,
and we're very pleased with that."
Snow's ruling doesn't altogether bar
Arpaio, 81, from enforcing the state's immigration laws, but it does impose a
long list of restrictions on the sheriff's patrols, some of which focused
heavily on Latino areas in the county. They include prohibitions on using race
as a factor in deciding whether to stop a vehicle with a Latino occupant and on
detaining Latino passengers only on the suspicion that they're in the country
illegally.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a
lawsuit last year that also alleges racial profiling by Arpaio's office. Its
suit, however, claims broader civil rights violations, such as allegations that
Arpaio's office retaliates against its critics and punishes Latino jail inmates
with limited English skills for speaking Spanish. Arpaio has denied the
claims.
Maricopa County
Sandra Day
O'Connor was a judge for the Maricopa
County Superior Court, is the president of the Alfalfa Club, and a trustee at the National Constitution
Center.
Note: Jeb Bush is a member of
the Alfalfa Club, the chairman for
the National Constitution Center,
and an advisory committee member for the Hispanic Leadership
Network.
Hispanic
Leadership Network is an offshoot of the American Action
Network.
Frederic V.
Malek is the founder & board member for the American Action Network, a member of the
Alfalfa Club, and a trustee at the
Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the
American
Civil Liberties Union.
George Soros is the
chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open
Society.
Henry A.
Kissinger was a lifetime trustee at the
Aspen Institute (think tank), a
member of the Bohemian Club, a
director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008
Bilderberg conference participant
(think tank).
Henrietta
Holsman Fore is a member of the Belizean
Grove, and a trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank).
George H.W. Bush
is a member of the Bohemian Club, George W.
Bush & Jeb Bush’s
father, the chairman
emeritus for the National Constitution
Center, and a
member of the Alfalfa
Club.
George W. Bush is
George H.W. Bush’s son, Jeb Bush’s brother, and a member of the Alfalfa Club.
Jeb Bush is a member of
the Alfalfa Club, the chairman for
the National Constitution Center,
and an advisory committee member for the Hispanic Leadership
Network.
Sandra Day
O'Connor is the president of the Alfalfa
Club, a trustee at the National
Constitution Center, and was a judge for the Maricopa County Superior Court.
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