Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas takes on liberal AZ State Bar
by Andrew P. Thomas
In a joint press conference with http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3889 Association. Thomas stated the Bar has launched a retaliatory investigation against him due to his efforts to require Superior Court judges to enforce Prop. 100, No Bail for Illegal Immigrants Who Commit Serious Crimes, which passed with 78% of the vote.
The County Attorney’s Office today filed a brief with the Arizona Supreme Court asking the court to terminate or, at minimum, refer to an independent special master all State Bar inquiries regarding the County Attorney and other prosecutors in related matters due to serious ethical misconduct by Bar officials and attorneys.
The petition for special action was filed after evidence has mounted that former members of the Maricopa County judiciary improperly enlisted the State Bar, which is an arm of the judiciary, to begin retaliatory investigations of Thomas and other prosecutors due to their criticism of several county judges last year. This sudden flood of investigations occurred right after Thomas criticized members of the county judiciary over their handling of Proposition 100, the ballot measure approved by 78 percent of Arizonans that ended the right to bail for illegal immigrants accused of serious felonies. Growing evidence has made clear the Bar investigations, which legal experts have unanimously concluded are frivolous, were intended to retaliate for the Proposition 100 controversy, as well as to intimidate prosecutors into not criticizing county judges.Thomas stated, “Proposition 100 is the law of the land today because I took on the judges who refused to enforce it. Now, some judges have reportedly retaliated by encouraging the State Bar to launch improper investigations of my prosecutors and me. Our office will not be intimidated. And I will continue to speak out and defend the will of the people.”