PHOENIX — Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio has lost a bid to get a judge disqualified from a racial profiling lawsuit that ultimately discredited his immigration patrols and led to a criminal case against the lawman.
U.S. District Murray Snow on Tuesday rejected the request that Arpaio and his former second-in-command Jerry Sheridan made days after Arpaio was defeated in last year's election.
Six months before Arpaio's defeat, the judge found Arpaio and Sheridan to be in civil contempt of court for defying a court order to stop the sheriff's traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.
Snow asked prosecutors to pursue a criminal contempt charge against Arpaio.
Another federal judge filed such charge against Arpaio and found him guilty.
But Arpaio was spared a possible jail sentence when President Donald Trump pardoned his conviction.
