On August 25, 2017, President Donald Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio for criminal contempt of court, a misdemeanor.[1] Arpaio had been convicted of the crime two months earlier for disobeying a federal judge's order to stop racial profiling in detaining "individuals suspected of being in the U.S. illegally".[2][3] The pardon covered Arpaio's conviction and "any other offenses under Chapter 21 of Title 18, United States Code that might arise, or be charged, in connection with Melendres v. Arpaio."[4] The official White House statement announcing the grant of clemency described Arpaio as a "worthy candidate" having served the nation for more than fifty years "protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration."[2][5][6]
A number of law professors and political scientists described the pardon as troubling and unusual.[7][8][9][10] Several experts on authoritarianism described the pardon as illiberal and said that it undermined the rule-of-law.[10] U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton, who handed down the guilty verdict,[1] did not vacate Arpaio's conviction, ruling that while the pardon relieves Arpaio of the burden of punishment, it does not change the facts of his crime.[11]
- ^ a b Pérez-Peña, Richard (July 31, 2017). "Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Is Convicted of Criminal Contempt". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Byrnes, Jesse; Easley, Jonathan (August 25, 2017). "Trump pardons former Sheriff Joe Arpaio". The Hill. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- ^ Dwyer, Colin (July 31, 2017). "Ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio Convicted Of Criminal Contempt". NPR. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- ^ Chaitin, Daniel (August 26, 2017). "Here is the pardon Trump signed for Joe Arpaio". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
Text of the pardon itself
- ^ Adam, Kelsey (August 25, 2017). "Trump pardons controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio". ABC News. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Davis, Julie Hirschfeld; Haberman, Maggie (August 25, 2017). "Trump Pardons Joe Arpaio, Who Became Face of Crackdown on Illegal Immigration". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ "Legal scholar on why the Arpaio pardon is 'troubling'". CBS This Morning. CBS News. August 26, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (August 26, 2017). "Why Trump's Pardon of Arpaio Follows Law, Yet Challenges It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
- ^ Superville, Darlene (August 27, 2017). "Critics: Trump pardon his latest affront against judiciary". Associated Press. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- ^ a b "Analysis: What authoritarianism experts think of Trump's decision to pardon Joe Arpaio". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- ^ Swenson, Kyle (October 20, 2017). "Federal judge refuses to erase Joe Arpaio's conviction despite Trump pardon". The Washington Post.