A Massachusetts judge facing a felony charge of helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest from federal immigration authorities is facing disciplinary action again in the case.
Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph engaged in “willful judicial misconduct” and acted “unconscionably” as a judicial officer. According to The Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct formally filed the charges on Monday. The charges, filed in the state Supreme Judicial Court, are related to a 2018 case in which Joseph allegedly forced an undocumented immigrant in court to flee out a back door to avoid deportation officers waiting outside. (Related article: “We will consider all necessary actions”: How the Trump administration and Republicans will change the fight against Mexican cartels)
According to part of the Judiciary Committee’s report, “The Committee finds that Judge Joseph has engaged in willful judicial misconduct that brought the judiciary into disrepute, was prejudicial to the administration of justice, and was found to be a judicial officer. An act in which the person is accused of committing a wrongful act.
The charges mark the latest development in a years-long legal battle for Joseph, and the case also highlights legal limits for local officials who want to defy cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Los Angeles, California – October 14: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained an immigrant in Los Angeles, California, on October 14, 2015. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
The case began on April 2, 2018, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived at Newton District Court, where Joseph was serving as a defense attorney, and arrested Jose Medina, an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic who had previously been arrested. It happened when Perez was arrested. He was deported twice and banned from re-entering the United States for 20 years.
Local authorities arrested Medina Perez on drug charges in Newton, Massachusetts, and linked him to a Pennsylvania DUI warrant, which explains why he appeared in Newton District Court on the same day. As is common in many immigration court arrests, ICE agents waited for him to post bail so they could later arrest him.
But instead of releasing Medina Perez through the courtroom lobby, the judge allegedly ordered her to be released through a back door leading into the parking lot. The alleged plot occurred after Joseph asked a clerk to turn off the court recorder during a supplementary conversation with Medina Perez’s defense attorney and assistant district attorney.
This order to leave through the rear exit was never communicated to ICE agents, who waited in the lobby for hours and eventually left without arresting Medina-Perez.
“I heard about the situation the day it happened,” said Thomas Homan, who was acting director of ICE at the time. “I was stunned.”
“I said, ‘Well, things have gone a little too far.’ Court officials helping someone escape ICE arrest. I’ve been doing this work for 35 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that before.” I’ve never seen that happen,” said Homan, who will become border czar under the new Trump administration.
Prosecutors charged Joseph in April 2019 with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice for her actions.
Joseph maintained his innocence and fought the charges until federal prosecutors filed charges. In September 2022 agreed to drop the lawsuit. In exchange for dropping the charges, she agreed to refer herself to the Judicial Conduct Commission, which is tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct by tribunal members.
The commission ultimately held her responsible for a series of misconduct surrounding the 2018 incident and subsequent actions, including “failing to cooperate and respond openly and honestly with judicial disciplinary authorities.” It was certified as.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
