Arapio loses bid to erase conviction
Former Maricopa County Sheriff claims victory anyway
PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to erase former-Sheriff Joe Arpaio's contempt of court conviction, but Arpaio is still calling the ruling a win.
The appeals court ruled Thursday the verdict in the former Maricopa County Sheriff's trial no longer has any legal consequence, because President Donald Trump pardoned him before he could be sentenced. It says the final judgment in the case amounts to a dismissal of the charge.
A professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law, Gabriel "Jack" Chin agrees with Arpaio's assessment of his case. Chin says, although the former sheriff didn't get his conviction vacated, he won't face any sort of punishment. The professor considers that a win.