On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the Boston Herald reported that the misconduct hearing for Shelley Joseph, a district court judge, entered its second day amid intense legal arguments regarding her alleged involvement in facilitating the escape of an illegal immigrant from federal authorities.
The case revolves around an incident from 2018, where Joseph is accused of colluding with the defendant’s attorney and a court officer to allow the immigrant to exit the Massachusetts courthouse through a back door after a hearing concerning drug possession charges.
The hearing, conducted by the Massachusetts Commission for Judicial Conduct, featured testimony from former Assistant District Attorney Shannon McDermott, who had prosecuted the non-immigration case against the defendant, Jose Medina-Perez. During her testimony, McDermott recounted her concerns when she was unexpectedly asked to join a sidebar discussion during Medina-Perez’s hearing. She expressed discomfort when Judge Joseph and defense attorney David Jellinek sought to take the conversation off the record.
McDermott testified that although she could not recall the specific details of the sidebar, she was clear that the district attorney’s office was not involved in immigration matters. She noted that Jellinek indicated he had a plan to assist Medina-Perez in evading ICE agents who were waiting outside the courtroom to detain him. “The conversation made me uncomfortable,” McDermott stated.
After Medina-Perez was released on his own recognizance, McDermott shared that she proceeded to the lobby, anticipating his exit from the courtroom. However, she soon realized that he had been allowed to leave through the back door after seeing Jellinek leave the court without his client. Confronted by McDermott, Jellinek reportedly smiled and walked past her.
Joseph’s attorney, Elizabeth Mulvey, defended the judge, claiming that she was unaware of any plan orchestrated by Jellinek to facilitate Medina-Perez’s escape. Mulvey argued that Joseph was merely trying to provide Jellinek with additional time to ascertain whether Medina-Perez was the individual sought by ICE. She suggested that Joseph’s actions could be interpreted as offering the defense attorney space to communicate with his client, rather than participating in any misconduct.
The hearing also included testimonies from the Chief Clerk of the Newton District Court and the Spanish-language interpreter assigned to Medina-Perez’s case. However, neither could provide information about the sidebar conversation that is central to the allegations against Joseph.
Source: Boston Herald
