An article in the Sept. 13 edition of The Arizona Republic, entitled “Feds ask judge to order Arpaio to cooperate,” included quotes from Professor Paul Bender.

Reporters Yvonne Wingett and Michael Kiefer wrote about the U.S. Department of Justice asking a federal judge to quickly force Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office to provide immediate and full access to its records and facilities. The justice department has sued the Sheriff’s Office for refusing to turn over documents or allow federal officials to evaluate jails and interview staff.

Lawyers for the federal government filed the motion for summary judgment before the Sheriff’s Office replied to the lawsuit, an unusual step, Bender said.

“But that is an unusual case,” he said. “They (federal lawyers) want to give the impression that there’s some urgency to this whole complaint, that he’s been promising to do things and then not doing them. They’ve given up … that he’s going to cooperate.”

To read the full story, click here.

Bender, a Dean Emeritus, teaches courses on U.S. and Arizona constitutional law. He has written extensively about constitutional law, intellectual property and Indian law, and is coauthor of the two-volume casebook/treatise, Political and Civil Rights in the United States. Professor Bender has argued more than 20 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and actively participates in constitutional litigation in federal and state courts.