


Judge Shelley Joseph will have her day in court before the state Commission on Judicial Conduct on June 9, beginning with a tour of the Newton courthouse where she let an illegal immigrant slip out the back door to evade ICE agents.
The commission officially set the date Tuesday, after telling the Herald that it was the likely date earlier this month.
The commission added: “The hearing will take place in Courtroom 1309 of the Suffolk County Courthouse, located at 3 Pemberton Square in Boston … The hearing will begin with a view at the Newton District Court at 7:30 a.m. on June 9. Immediately after the view is completed, the hearing will resume at the Suffolk County Courthouse. The hearing will be presided over by the Hearing Officer appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court, Attorney Denis J. McInerney.”
Joseph, a $207,855-a-year judge now sitting in Boston, is accused of violating the “Code of Judicial Conduct” by “failing to comply with the law,” the commission has alleged.
Joseph was charged by former U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, a Trump appointee, of helping a twice-deported illegal immigrant evade federal immigration officials in 2018 while in her Newton court.
Those charges were dropped, and the case was kicked over to the Commission on Judicial Conduct, which set forth its stinging summary of the case that now falls under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
The commission rattled off a series of charges — including Joseph’s failure “to cooperate and be candid and honest with judicial disciplinary authorities.”
Her hearing will mirror an actual trial with the commission and her lawyers presenting evidence before any actions are taken, or not taken, against Joseph.