Massachusetts Judge Publicly Reprimanded for Aiding Immigrant's Escape

The highest court in Massachusetts has issued a public reprimand to a district court judge accused of facilitating the escape of an immigrant from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in 2018. The Supreme Judicial Court's decision follows a recommendation for reprimand by a hearing officer for the Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Judge Shelley Joseph was accused of colluding with the immigrant's attorney and a court officer to allow the individual, Jose Medina-Perez, to leave the courthouse through a back door after a hearing. Medina-Perez was facing charges that included drug possession at the time.

The court concluded that Joseph's actions created an appearance of impropriety and that she failed to comply with the law. According to the ruling, the respondent's statements and conduct, including proposing to detain the immigrant overnight and instructing the clerk to turn off the courtroom audio recording system, violated her duties.

Joseph's attorney, Elizabeth Mulvey, argued that the case had been distorted and that her client was unfairly vilified. Mulvey stated that Joseph is thankful for those who supported her and looks forward to returning to her judicial duties.

Following a federal indictment in 2019, Joseph was charged with obstruction of justice. These charges were dropped in 2022 after she agreed to refer herself to the state agency investigating judicial misconduct. The Commission on Judicial Conduct found that Joseph engaged in willful judicial misconduct that brought her office into disrepute and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.

Joseph was suspended from judicial duties for over three years. She was reassigned to administrative duties in the Boston Municipal Court in December and will resume her judicial responsibilities there. The case has been compared to that of a former Wisconsin judge who was convicted of felony obstruction for helping a man evade immigration authorities and later resigned amid threats of impeachment. That judge was ultimately fined but spared prison time.