A Boston judge accused of assisting an unauthorized immigrant in evading US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2018 is scheduled to face a misconduct hearing.
Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph is facing a civil misconduct allegation in connection with the incident in which she reportedly aided Jose Medina-Perez, a Dominican national who had already been deported twice, in exiting Newton District Court undetected.
Joseph has been suspended without pay and is now awaiting a final decision from the Supreme Judicial Court. She is also not allowed back on the bench until the final hearing.
Medina-Perez, who is forbidden from reentering the United States until 2027, appeared in court on drug possession charges and a fugitive warrant from Pennsylvania. ICE agent was waiting outside the courthouse to take him into custody.
Joseph appeared in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston, where the misconduct hearing is now underway. Presiding Judge Denis McInerney noted that he will produce a report explaining his findings and recommendations after the hearings are completed.
