9th Circuit Denies Request To Vacate Arpaio Guilty Verdict
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s request to vacate his conviction for criminal contempt.
Arpaio was found guilty of enforcing federal immigration law in July of 2017 after a federal judge ordered him to stop.
But before the former sheriff could be sentenced, President Trump granted him a full and unconditional pardon a month later.
The district court agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice but denied Arpaio’s request to vacate the verdict, noting the pardon did not “revise the historical facts of the case.” A three-judge panel affirmed the lower court decision on Thursday.
The 9th Circuit said Arpaio’s challenges were moot, because the district court’s guilty verdict will have no further legal consequences.
