PHOENIX, AZ — The Arizona Supreme Court has upheld a two-year suspension for former Maricopa County prosecutor April Sponsel, citing a series of ethical violations stemming from her handling of cases tied to the October 2020 protests.
The Court’s decision, released Friday, centers on Sponsel’s prosecution of 15 individuals arrested during demonstrations following the deaths of George Floyd and Dion Johnson. Despite having access to over 100 hours of body camera footage and 250 pages of police reports, the Court found that Sponsel filed charges after only a minimal review of the evidence.
More troubling, according to the ruling, was her decision to add gang-related charges against the protesters—charges that were not supported by the evidence. Once her superiors discovered the oversight, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office dropped the charges and placed Sponsel on administrative leave.
An internal review also revealed a pattern of overcharging and failing to fully review evidence in other cases Sponsel had prosecuted.
The State Bar of Arizona brought ethical charges against her, and a disciplinary panel suspended her for two years, concluding she violated duties of competent representation, diligence, and good faith. The panel said her actions were “prejudicial to the administration of justice.”
In its ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed that finding, stating Sponsel had “knowingly” failed to meet her ethical obligations—even if she didn’t intend to break specific rules.
“A lawyer can act ‘knowingly’ regardless of whether the lawyer knows that his or her actions violate a specific ethical rule,” the Court wrote.
