Ex-Santa Clara sheriff’s appeal on corruption case denied; still barred from public office

Former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has lost her appeal of a court case that barred her from public office in 2022.

Smith argued that by retiring prior to being found guilty of six corruption and willful misconduct charges that year, the removal proceedings that disqualified her from jury service and her job were no longer necessary. But in a March 15 ruling, the state’s 6th Circuit appellate judges disagreed, instead sustaining the verdict that ended her 50-year law enforcement career.