A Massachusetts judge is under fire after allegedly helping a twice-deported illegal immigrant evade federal immigration authorities — a move critics argue shows just how deeply the leftist legal system is willing to undermine U.S. law.

Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph, of Newton District Court, is now facing a civil misconduct hearing for her alleged role in enabling Dominican national Jose Medina-Perez to slip out of her courtroom undetected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in 2018.

Medina-Perez, who had been deported twice and was legally barred from re-entering the United States until 2027, was in court on drug charges and a fugitive warrant out of Pennsylvania. A federal immigration officer was stationed in the courthouse, ready to take custody of the suspect — but Medina-Perez walked out the back door instead, thanks to what appears to be deliberate judicial interference.

Now, Judge Joseph must answer to the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct (CJC), which has brought formal charges of “willful judicial misconduct” and behavior “prejudicial to the administration of justice.” Her misconduct hearing is taking place at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston. Presiding Judge Denis McInerney will issue findings and recommendations once the proceedings conclude.

The defense attorney for Joseph didn’t deny the events — instead, he acknowledged the public consensus about what happened. “If you were to walk down the street and take a survey... 100% of them would tell you Judge Joseph let an illegal immigrant out the back door of the district court,” her counsel said during opening statements. “Fifty percent... would tell you that she’s a criminal... Fifty percent would tell you she’s a folk hero... But 100% would tell you she did it.”

Federal prosecutors previously charged Joseph for allegedly directing a courtroom clerk to mislead the ICE agent by telling him that Medina-Perez would be exiting through the front lobby. At one point, Joseph reportedly instructed, “Go off the record for a moment,” leading to a 52-second gap in the official audio recording.

When the ICE agent’s presence was raised again, Joseph allegedly responded, “That’s fine. I’m not gonna allow them to come in here. But he’s been released on this.” According to court filings, Medina-Perez’s attorney asked to speak with his client downstairs, and Joseph replied, “That’s fine. Of course.”

What happened next reads like a scene out of a lawless sanctuary city script: Court Officer Wesley MacGregor allegedly used his access card to open a secure sally-port exit door, allowing the illegal immigrant to vanish — bypassing federal custody entirely.

Joseph avoided federal prosecution in 2022 after the Biden-era Justice Department agreed to drop charges following her self-referral to the Massachusetts CJC and an admission to key facts in the case.

The episode is one of several instances where liberal judges have been accused of openly obstructing immigration enforcement. Under President Trump’s first administration, multiple judges were charged with similar offenses. In May, Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested for allegedly helping shield an illegal immigrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, from ICE. In another case, former New Mexico magistrate Joel Cano and his wife were charged with harboring a known illegal alien believed to have ties to a terrorist-linked gang.

Critics say the pattern is unmistakable — radical elements of the judiciary have become activists, not arbiters, using their positions to thwart federal law and promote an open-border agenda.