The highest court in Massachusetts has publicly reprimanded Judge Shelley Joseph for her role in a 2018 incident involving an immigrant’s escape from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. During a court hearing, Joseph was accused of working with the immigrant’s attorney and a court officer to help him leave the courthouse through a back door. The Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, upheld a reprimand recommendation from the Commission on Judicial Conduct, stating that Joseph’s actions created an appearance of impropriety and violated her legal duties. The court noted that Joseph’s proposal to detain the individual overnight in state custody and her instruction to turn off the courtroom audio recording system contributed to the perception of misconduct. Judge Joseph’s attorney, Elizabeth Mulvey, defended her client during a commission hearing, arguing that the case had been exaggerated over time. She noted that public opinion was divided, with some believing Joseph should be jailed and others viewing her as a “folk hero.” Mulvey also claimed that Joseph had been unfairly targeted by the media, with some people falsely believing she had physically escorted the immigrant out of the courthouse. In a recent statement, Mulvey acknowledged the “incredibly long and difficult eight years” Joseph had faced and expressed relief that the hearing officer found the federal charges against her to be baseless, stemming from the actions of the defense lawyer involved. The Massachusetts case has drawn comparisons to a similar situation involving a former Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan, who was convicted in December of felony obstruction for helping a man evade ICE authorities. Dugan had escorted the man and his lawyer out of her courtroom after learning that immigration agents were seeking his arrest. Although the man was later taken into custody outside the courthouse, Dugan resigned from her judgeship in January amid pressure from Republican lawmakers. In her resignation letter, she argued that the incident threatened the independence of the judiciary. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman later fined Dugan $5,000, calling her actions a poor decision driven by frustration with national immigration policies. The Massachusetts case highlights the growing tension between federal and local authorities over immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. In 2022, federal obstruction of justice charges against Judge Joseph were dropped after she agreed to be investigated by the Commission on Judicial Conduct. That agency found that Joseph had engaged in misconduct that damaged the reputation of the judiciary and was unbecoming of a judicial officer. The case underscores the complex legal and ethical challenges faced by judges in balancing their duties with the pressures of federal immigration policies.