Litigation

Sheriff Arpaio Incites ?Maricopa Courthouse War?

By Peter Hardin

Since December, Gavel Grab has kept track of the unfolding drama in Maricopa County, Arizona, pitting Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas against their political foes–including those in the judiciary.

Now the magazine of the ABA Journal has published a page-turner about the conflict.  It’s recommended reading and is entitled “The Maricopa Courthouse War: An Arizona showdown over populist politics, abuse of power and pink boxer shorts.”

The article features sections on “perp-walk politics” and on other tactics that have included “inexplicable criminal charges against a well-respected judge” that brought scores of lawyers to a protest on the courthouse steps.

Questions of judicial independence have been raised. A federal grand jury is investigating possible abuses of power. Arpaio still is nicknamed “America’s toughest sheriff;”  the 77-year-old lawman did not agree to an interview with the magazine.

?I?ve lived in New Jersey and in Washington, D.C., where politics can get nasty,?  Clint Bolick of the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute told the magazine. ?But here, normal political retribution is just the starting point.?

Full post as published by The Gavel on April 06, 2010 (boomark / email).