Lawyers for Sheriff Joe Arpaio are asking a federal judge to hold a closed-door settlement conference in his racial profiling case. A conference could lead to "productive settlement discussions" that could narrow issues before the judge.
The sheriff faces a possible civil contempt hearing in April. U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow has previously sent strong signals that he intends to pursue contempt cases. that could expose Arpaio to fines and perhaps even jail time.
Nineteen months ago, the judge found Arpaio's office had systematically singled out Latinos during traffic and immigration patrols.
