11/9 Coalition condemns Arpaio pardon

The 11/9 Coalition says this about Trump's pardon of Sheriff Arpaio:

The 11/9 Coalition deplores President Trump's pardoning of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. While the President holds authority to pardon offenses against the United States, he also bears responsibility for ensuring faithful execution of the laws, including the Constitution. A federal court found that Sheriff Arpaio's department violated the Constitution by targeting individuals for police scrutiny based on their race. Sheriff Arpaio was then convicted of criminal contempt of court for defying court orders mandating an end to these illegal practices. By issuing a pardon to excuse Sheriff Arpaio's defiance of the judiciary and the Constitution, President Trump has himself shown contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law.

(See here for the 11/9 Coalition's mission and here for its leadership. Also, see here for the Coalition's recent statements, including on the DOJ's request for Dreamhost's records and the demonstrations in Charlottesville.)

UPDATE: It strikes me that most of you aren't familiar with the 11/9 Coalition, so let me move some of the material from the links right here into this post. The 11/9 Coalition (which I'm on the board of) is a watchdog organization formed after the election:

The 11/9 Coalition is a nationwide, non-partisan, grassroots organization working for the protection of civil liberties and the rule of law. The 11/9 Coalition was founded by concerned US citizens on 11/9/16, the day after the presidential election of 2016. It is dedicated to holding public servants, including elected officials, to their obligations to preserve and defend the Constitution, without regard to their political affiliation.The 11/9 Coalition seeks to educate the public about the constitutional obligations of all three branches of government. Its goals are to

1) create an extensive network to which individuals can turn if their civil liberties are threatened;

2) provide a publication platform for reporting about and analyzing civil liberties violations; and

3) offer a forum for discussion and education around civil liberties.

The 11/9 Coalition stands at the ready to employ, in line with these values, both advocacy and legal action. It provides a base for members to analyze and discuss the legal implications of policy proposals. Members, in turn, may assist and advise courts, lawyers, and policymakers on matters affecting civil liberties.

One of the things we've done, for instance, is research the backgrounds of the judges on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees. Of the three judges who were said to be on the very short list around the time Neil Gorsuch was nominated, we put out a statement (which I linked in my January 31 blog post, "Neil Gorsuch, fortunately") that Gorsuch was the best of the three. In February, we also put out statements against Trump's travel ban and against his executive order denying funding to sanctuary cities.