Arpaio Can’t Erase Guilty Verdict; Will Appeal

Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona lawman who broke the law but was pardoned by President Trump, can’t erase his guilty verdict from the record books, a federal district court held Oct. 19 (USA v. Arpaio, D. Ariz., No. 2:16-cr-01012, 10/19/17).

Though a pardon saves the recipient from punishment, it doesn’t “erase a judgment of conviction, or its underlying legal and factual findings,” U.S. District Court Judge Susan R. Bolton said. “Indeed, a pardon ‘carries an imputation of guilt,’” she said, quoting a 1915 Supreme Court case.

Arpaio’s criminal contempt case stemmed from his non-compliance with a court ...