BOSTON — A public hearing for a Massachusetts judge accused of helping a man escape court and evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is being held on Monday, years after she was suspended from the bench and charged with federal crimes.
Judge Shelley Joseph will appear for a Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct hearing on formal charges.
“The Commission charges that Judge Joseph has engaged in willful judicial misconduct that brought the judicial office into disrepute, as well as conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice and unbecoming of a judicial officer,” a formal complaint stated.
Read the complaint:
Joseph was arrested by federal law enforcement officials in 2018. Prosecutors alleged that she helped Jose Medina-Perez leave the Newton District Court out a rear door and lied to investigators. Medina-Perez had been wanted on charges of being a fugitive from justice.
Joseph was indicted in April 2019 on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly preventing an ICE officer from taking custody of an “alien defendant.” She pleaded not guilty to the charges, citing judicial immunity.
Joseph later admitted to relevant facts in the case, and in 2022, the Biden Administration dropped her charges, clearing her for a return to the bench.
Monday’s proceedings began at 7:30 a.m. with a hearing officer’s view of Newton District Court, where the alleged incident happened.
Immediately after the view is completed, the public hearing will resume at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Boston.
Joseph was sworn in as a Massachusetts District Court judge in November 2017.
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