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Attorneys for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio are asking a judge for more latitude in gathering information and deposing witnesses in a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit that alleges the police agency has racially profiled Latinos.
The sheriff's lawyers said in a court filing Wednesday that the Justice Department has proposed a pre-trial plan that doesn't let Arpaio's office pose more than 25 key factual questions in the case's information-gathering phase and limits the number of witnesses that they can depose to 30.
Arpaio's lawyers said the Justice Department's stance would put the sheriff at a disadvantage.
The federal agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The sheriff's office has denied the lawsuit's allegations that Arpaio's deputies racially profiled Latinos in its regular traffic and special immigration patrols.
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