The U.S. District Court in Arizona has granted the Department of Justice’s motion to intervene in the case of Melendres v. Arpaio, a private lawsuit filed against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for engaging in racial profiling and the unlawful traffic stops of Latinos.

In 2013, the federal court found that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) had indeed engaged in the unlawful discrimination of Latinos, which violated the Fourth and 14th Amendments as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

As the ACLU reports, aside from appointing a monitor to keep track on the MCSO's actions, the court insisted upon audio as well as video recording of all traffic stops, and an increase in training and a monitoring of Arpaio's office employees.

Thursday's ruling provides the Justice Department enforcement the power to carry out this injunction and the monitoring for any future violations. A Justice Department press release quotes Assistant Attorney General Mark Kappelhoff of the Civil Rights Division, stating, “The Department of Justice can now work together with the court, the plaintiffs and the independent monitor to ensure that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office meaningfully implements the court-ordered reforms so that the constitutional rights of all people of Maricopa County are protected."

Kappelhoff continued, “The Constitution guarantees that all people receive the equal protection of the law, and the department is now positioned to ensure that this important right is upheld.”

Facing mounting legal fees before his court date in June, Sheriff Joe Arpaio publicly asked for financial support. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Arpaio bemoaned the fact that he had to personally pay for attorneys to represent him in the cases against him, writing an email to potential donors that said, "I do not have the personal wealth or the wherewithal to keep up with the costly demands of paying for attorneys to defend me."