As immigration battles continue to play out in Washington D.C., Massachusetts moved to center stage today as U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling indicted a state judge for obstruction of justice over allegations that she allowed a defendant to evade ICE agents last year. Judge Shelley Joseph of Newton was charged after a year-long grand jury investigation and has since been suspended without pay. The case comes against a backdrop of judges across the nation sometimes criticizing ICE’s practice of arresting detainees at courthouses — with this particular indictment labeled by detractors as political in nature.
To debate, Jim Braude was joined by Brian Kelly, the former assistant U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts; and Derege Demissie, president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
