Former Clerk Defends Arizona Judge Who Ruled Against Ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio
In the days since he received a presidential pardon, former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has lashed out at his critics and the judge who found him guilty of criminal contempt for violating the terms of a court order in a racial profiling case.
The controversial Maricopa County lawman insisted over the weekend that he “didn’t do anything wrong” and questioned the fairness of U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, who said in July that Arpaio had “willfully violated” the 2011 court order.
Arpaio further called his conviction the product of a “political witch hunt” orchestrated by members of former President Barack Obama’s administration.
President Donald Trump also suggested that the ruling against Arpaio was unjust when he was asked about the pardon at a news conference on Monday.
“He’s done a great job for the people of Arizona,” Trump said. “He’s strong on borders and strong on illegal immigration. He is loved in Arizona, and I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly.”
The 2011 court order barred Arpaio and his office from detaining individuals solely on suspicions about their legal status. Andrew Case, a former clerk for U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow, who issued the order, rushed to defend Snow on Twitter after Arpaio’s pardon.
Presumably reacting to Arpaio’s charges of “bias” in his trial, Case argued in a series of posts that Snow was anything but a liberal partisan who had ruled unfairly.
He noted that Snow was nominated by former President George W. Bush and that he “quoted [former Supreme Court Justice Antonin] Scalia favorably.” The judge also kept a [George] “Romney Institute blotter” on his desk, he added, a reference to a Brigham Young University program.
“He is ideologically conservative and deeply devoted to the rule of law,” Case tweeted.
I was the judicial clerk for the judge in the original Apraio trial. I have some thoughts on the pardon. (1/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
(I will not be revealing any conversations with the judge about the substance of the case because duh). (2/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Judge Snow was appointed by George W. Bush. He quoted Scalia favorably. He had a Romney Institute blotter on his desk. (3/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Arpaio now calls him “liberal” – this is flatly false. He is ideologically conservative and deeply devoted to the rule of law. (4/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Case continued with numerous other tweets, some of them accompanied by text from Snow’s findings of fact in 2013, describing how he had conducted the trial.
He took pains to ensure that the trial was procedurally fair – crediting unsupported statements by Arpaio deputies. (5/15) pic.twitter.com/QudUjoNcQF
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Arpaio’s office had deleted thousands of requested emails (yes!), Snow issued only mild sanctions in response. (6/15) pic.twitter.com/zgxhi6972x
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
When a minor issue came up that could have merited recusal, he held a hearing – Arpaio’s attorneys asked him not to recuse. (7/15) pic.twitter.com/l6E2hRLQoa
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Judge Snow’s order was upheld on appeal before trial by a Nixon appointee, who singled him out for praise in the opinion. (8/15) pic.twitter.com/cfsiFDFhfM
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Case also referenced racist emails Arpaio’s deputies had exchanged in the past, which emerged during a Justice Department investigation.
Many of the deleted emails were recovered; they contained racist jokes about “Mexifornia,” “Mexican Yoga” and “Mexican Engineering.” (9/15) pic.twitter.com/9Z4smJ3X5H
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Snow’s final 142-page order barely referenced the inflammatory stuff – order bars enforcing federal law and stopping bc of race. (10/15) pic.twitter.com/zTVYA7CAr7
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
That order is the one that Arpaio flouted. (11/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Case tweeted that Arpaio had once “sent investigators after the judge’s wife,” which the former sheriff had confirmed during his testimony. Case also suggested that Arpaio had constantly insulted Snow, although it was not clear which remarks he was referring to.
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Arpaio sent investigators after the judge’s wife and constantly insults him publicly. (12/15) https://t.co/MQLkKnEgqv
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Arpaio kept a paper file in which he printed fan mail favoring racial profiling and attacking a different judge (13/15) pic.twitter.com/hbsFsXiQGB
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Arpaio launched numerous investigations of local politicians and officials he viewed as opponents, according to The Arizona Republic.
Case finally concluded that Snow was “too dignified” to respond to personal attacks against him.
Judge Snow has never responded to these personal attacks – he is far too dignified to do so. (14/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
So when you hear Arpaio and Trump on the judge, remember he is a classic Republican judge and a deeply honorable man. (15/15)
— Andrew Case (@AClaudeCase) August 29, 2017
Case did not immediately reply to a request for comment from HuffPost.
Ryan J. Reilly contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.