Sheriff Arpaio Says Federal Judge Has Been Out To Get Him

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has petitioned to have the federal judge who is investigating him kicked off the case, telling an appeals court that Judge G. Murray Snow’s wife admitted to friends that her husband was intent on destroying the Arizona lawman.

Judge Snow has been battling Sheriff Arpaio for years, and in 2013 ruled that the Maricopa County department discriminated against Hispanics by targeting them for immigration enforcement.

Earlier this year, the judge began contempt proceedings against Sheriff Arpaio, accusing him of intentionally ignoring the court’s orders — but the sheriff says the judge has created a conflict of interest through his own unusually aggressive courtroom tactics and his wife’s words.

If the judge is removed, it could upend the entire years-long case, including the 2013 ruling and subsequent non-discrimination agreements to which the sheriff's department has agreed.

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