Joint Statement from Chairman Thomas Galvin and Vice Chair Kate Brophy McGee on Legal Filing in Melendres Case
“Since the issuance of the Court’s first injunctive order, fourteen years have passed, three new Sheriffs have taken office (from both political parties), MCSO has achieved 100% compliance with required policy changes, and there have been zero new allegations of targeted immigration enforcement by MCSO.”
This excerpt is the centerpiece of our legal filing today in the case of Sheridan v. Melendres, a nearly two-decade old case about constitutional rights during traffic stops that has expanded in scope.
For nearly 15 years, an unelected federal monitor named Robert Warshaw has been collecting over $30 million in fees from taxpayers while overseeing the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). The Board of Supervisors’ long-standing frustration and outrage over Warshaw’s tactics have been well-documented, and in recent weeks, we have made it clear we strongly dispute the findings of his so-called financial “audit” of county spending related to the case.
In today’s legal filing, we highlight how far the federal monitor has strayed from his original charge. Digging into county finances and trying to minimize the cost of Melendres compliance is not just an insult to taxpayers, it’s beyond the federal court’s jurisdiction. Nothing about our budgeting or accounting practices violates federal or state law. This is why we decline to participate in further arguments over compliance costs.
In our filing, we explain that democracy and federalism require that local officials maintain responsibility for how to spend taxpayer money and cite Supreme Court precedent that “federal-court decrees must directly address and relate to the constitutional violation itself.” To emphasize once again, MCSO has achieved 100% compliance with the policy changes related to the original lawsuit.
We stand by our budgeting practices and the 209 positions we created as a direct result of the Melendres Orders. It would be a complete waste of taxpayer money to engage the federal courts in a back-and-forth over what is clearly an issue of local jurisdiction.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors collectively represents 4.5 million residents, who have tasked us with being responsible stewards of their tax dollars.
Board members are committed to supporting public safety in a fiscally responsible way. We’ll keep standing up for transparency, common sense, and your right to self-govern.
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 Chairman Thomas Galvin
District 2
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Vice Chair Kate Brophy McGee
District 3
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