The Arizona Department of Corrections has asked an appeals court to throw out a contempt-of-court ruling against its director and a $1.4 million fine against the state for failing to adequately improve health care for the 33,000 inmates in state-run prisons.

The Arizona Department of Corrections has picked a new company to provide health care at its 10 state-run prisons.

The Arizona Court of Appeals issued the decision Tuesday and found that the Department of Economic Security failed to comply with a prior court order requiring it to file about 100 appeals for unemployment benefits, food stamps and cash welfare assistance by early March.

A judge has warned that Arizona Corrections Director Charles Ryan and another prison official could be held in civil contempt of court and the state could face fines for repeatedly falling short in improving health care for inmates.

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was convicted of a criminal charge Monday for refusing to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

An attorney defending former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio against a contempt of court charge involving immigration patrols blamed sheriff’s employees and a lawyer who once defended the lawman in a racial-profiling case for not following a court order to stop the strategy.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to block campaign statements at his contempt of court trial.

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio plans to resume his bid to get a federal judge disqualified from a racial profiling case even though the lawman has been out of office for more than two months.

Ousted Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has lost his bid to have a jury decide whether he should be convicted of a criminal contempt-of-court charge for disobeying a court order in a racial profiling case.

The request came as Sheriff Joe Arpaio's 24-year tenure as sheriff is set to end Sunday.