Judge won’t throw out ruling explaining Arpaio’s conviction

PHOENIX — The judge in former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s now-pardoned criminal case has refused the retired lawman’s request to throw out all rulings in the case, including a blistering decision that explained her reasoning in finding him guilty of a crime. The request denied Thursday by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton was aimed at clearing Arpaio’s name and barring the ruling’s use in future court cases as an example of a prior bad act. The conviction stemmed from Arpaio’s disobedience of a 2011 court order that barred his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. Critics say the Aug. 25 pardon removed the last chance at holding Arpaio legally accountable for a long history of misconduct, including a 2013 civil verdict in which Arpaio’s officers were found to have racially profiled Latinos in the sheriff’s immigration patrols.