Massachusetts' highest court publicly reprimands judge accused of enabling immigrant to escape ICE, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/massachusetts-highest-court-publicly-reprimands-judge-accused-enabling-immigrant-escape-ice)
11-09-2026
Here is a summary of the article from Fox News:The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has issued a public reprimand to District Court Judge Shelley Joseph, concluding a legal battle that began in April 2018.Key Details of the Case
- The Incident (April 2018): Jose Medina-Perez, an undocumented immigrant facing charges, was present in Newton District Court. While an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer waited in the courthouse lobby to arrest him, Medina-Perez was released through a rear sally port exit instead.
- The Violation: The high court found that Judge Joseph created an “appearance of impropriety” by directing her clerk to turn off the courtroom’s audio recording system during a sidebar conversation between the defense attorney and prosecutor. During this off-the-record discussion, potential options regarding Medina-Perez’s detention were discussed.
- Court Findings: The Supreme Judicial Court determined that Joseph was unaware of the defense attorney’s plan to help Medina-Perez evade ICE through the back exit, and that she neither explicitly nor implicitly approved such an escape.
- Legal History: In 2019, Joseph was indicted on federal obstruction of justice charges and suspended from the bench for three years. Federal prosecutors dropped the criminal charges in 2022 after she agreed to refer herself to the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct.
- Current Status: Following recommendations from the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the state’s highest court issued the public reprimand. Joseph remains a judge and was assigned to administrative duties in the Boston Municipal Court. Her legal counsel emphasized relief at the conclusion of the years-long proceedings, maintaining that the original federal prosecution was unfounded.