Today we have a video of David’s reaction to Andrew Thomas’ Disbarment last week:

What do you think?

This morning in a Phoenix Courtroom the decision that has been predicted for months on this blog finally became a reality: Andrew Peyton Thomas, former Maricopa County Attorney, was disbarred. Ending any doubts that Thomas misused the power of his office for launching attacks on his political opponents. At least for everyone except Thomas himself:

“Today, corruption has won and justice has lost,” [Andrew Thomas] said, according to the Arizona Republic. “The political witch hunt that’s just ended makes things worse by sending a chilling message to prosecutors: Those who take on the powerful will lose their livelihood.” via Arizona Republic

Isn’t the Nile a river in Africa? EJ Montini of the Arizona Republic was not impressed with Thomas’ play of the victim card, either.

You can read the entire Opinion here, its 240+ pages but has some nuggets worth reading. From the start this opinion wastes no time letting you know what they think of Mr. Thomas:

The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies. Proverbs 12:15–17.

I think we see where this is heading…

The opinion doesn’t let up at all and then finishes strong and unequivocally:

This is the story of three unethical attorneys, Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon, and to a lesser extent, Rachel Alexander. This is the story of County Attorneys who did not “let justice be done,” but rather, birthed injustice after injustice. This is the story of the public trust dishonored, desecrated, and defiled. This multi-year-wreck-of-a-ride, operated by Andrew Thomas and staffed by Aubuchon and Alexander, outrageously exploited power, flagrantly fostered fear, and disgracefully misused the law. By the time Andrew Thomas resigned, with his hopes of attaining higher public office and greater public trust, his legacy lay in a smoldering heap, its smoke slowly curling skyward like a prayer for relief.

This is not your typical legal opinion fare, this is the panel making a point: don’t go after judges unless you have facts to back it up.

If you are not familiar with this case we recommend checking out this Talking Points Memo post by Nick Martin.

Last but not least there is the Phoenix New Times who have covered this story in detail from the start. Considering Thomas had the papers owners locked up in 2007 their coverage should be no surprise. Paul Rubin has a nice write up today about some heros emerging from the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office.

Of course Thomas et all have 10 days to file an appeal which we are sure they will, stay tuned.

Here is a list of out posts covering this ordeal:

• Former Maricopa Prosecutor Lisa Aubuchon Pleads her Case
• Andrew Thomas Warned by Staff Not to Pursue Charges
• Andrew Thomas shows lack of Law Knowledge
• Cleaning up Thomas’ Mess: Rose Wilcox Case Dismissed
• Did Andrew Thomas use RICO funds illegally?
• Update on Andrew Thomas Disbarment Hearing

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has refused to cooperate in settlement negotiations with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. He is under investigation by the DOJ to determine whether the Sheriff had violated Hispanics’ civil rights by racial profiling and denying them access to necessaries while incarcerated. The DOJ sent a letter to Arpaio stating “[w]e believe that you are wasting time and not negotiating in good faith.”

The Sheriff is not a stranger to controversy during his time as lead of Maricopa County’s law enforcement. The highly criticized Sheriff recently made news again in March when he claimed that President Obama’s birth certificate was a forgery.

On December 19th 2011 the Closing Arguments in the Disciplinary Hearing for Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon, and Rachel Alexander were submitted along with Independent Bar Counsel’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. As our regular followers know David has been following this story closely as it has proceeded starting Sept 12th of this year.

As David points out in the video the Arizona Supreme Court has posted two PDF’s on its website for the Closing Arguments and the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. Here is the link to the page:
High Profile Case Update – Andrew Thomas Disbarment Hearing
Here are the links to the PDF’s:
12/19/11
*IBC Closing Arguments (PDF)
*IBC Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law (PDF)

Respondents must then file their response by Friday, Jan. 16, 2012
Independent Bar Counsel will then file a reply to that response by Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012.

By Supreme Court Rule, the panel then has 30 days to file their findings. Judge O’Neil announced that he will reconvene the hearing panel when the order is complete. A 24 hour notice will be given to all parties, media and the public about the hearing. The panel will announce their findings at this hearing and the full written opinion will be released to the public.

WATCH THE PROCEEDINGS
Archived video of the proceedings may be viewed here.

We will be watching closely and give you updates as they appear.

What do you think, should Andrew Thomas be disbarred?