Sheriff Joe Arpaio asks court to throw out contempt ruling

JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has asked an appeals court to throw out a civil contempt-of-court ruling against him in a bid to undo a decision that’s believed to have contributed to his political demise.

The filing came as Arpaio’s 24-year tenure as sheriff is set to end Sunday .

The 84-year-old lawman asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday to overturn the contempt ruling for his defiance of a court order in a racial profiling case.

He also wants to do away with the punishments issued as a result of the ruling.

The punishments included redoing internal investigations into alleged wrongdoing by officers after a judge found earlier examinations were inadequate.

A steady stream of negative news from the profiling lawsuit is believed to have contributed to Arpaio’s defeat.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.