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Presidential Clemency Record

Joseph M. Arpaio

Pardon

  /   2017–2021

Record at a Glance

Clemency type
Pardon
Presidential term
2017–2021
Federal district
District of Arizona
Offense
Contempt of court
Sentence
N/A
Current status
Arpaio lost the July 30, 2024 Fountain Hills mayoral primary, receiving 1,527 votes, or 15.12 percent. The pardon remains the final disposition of his federal criminal-contempt case; no later criminal case is included in this chronology.

Original Case

In D. Ariz. No. CR-16-01012-001-PHX-SRB, following a five-day bench trial, the district court found Arpaio guilty on July 31, 2017 of criminal contempt under 18 U.S.C. § 401(3) for disobeying the court’s order in the related civil Melendres litigation. Sentencing was set for October 2017 but never occurred. The Ninth Circuit explains that, because no sentence was pronounced, there was no technical judgment of conviction, even though the court had entered a guilty verdict.

Clemency

August 25, 2017: full and unconditional pardon for the § 401(3) guilty verdict and other potential Chapter 21 Title 18 offenses connected to Melendres v. Arpaio. The pardon preceded sentencing; it is distinct from the later dismissal-with-prejudice and did not itself vacate the guilty verdict.

Trump Connection

Arpaio, the longtime Republican sheriff of Maricopa County, endorsed Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and appeared with him at campaign events. Trump publicly previewed possible clemency at an August 2017 rally in Phoenix, telling the crowd that Arpaio would be “just fine,” and later said the audience’s reaction helped confirm his decision. The pardon followed three days after the rally and less than a month after the guilty verdict; it did not overturn the court’s factual findings.

Since Clemency

  • 2020-02-27 · criminal case appellate disposition

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed dismissal with prejudice of the criminal-contempt proceeding and denial of Arpaio’s request to vacate the guilty verdict.

    Legal Status: The court held that the guilty verdict had no legal consequences after the pardon but was not vacated; this is not an acquittal or reversal on the merits.

  • 2024-07-30 · political development

    Official Fountain Hills mayoral primary results record 1,527 votes (15.12%) for Arpaio.

    Legal Status: Election result; not a criminal matter.

  • 2026-09-10 · related civil oversight proceeding

    In Melendres v. Sheridan, the federal court denied without prejudice the defendants' motion for relief from judgment under Rule 60(b). The proceeding concerns the sheriff's office and is separate from Arpaio's pardoned criminal-contempt case.

    Legal Status: Civil oversight order denying relief without prejudice; separate from the pardoned criminal-contempt case and not a new criminal conviction.

Sources

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