District Court Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph departs federal court April 25, 2019, in Boston after facing obstruction of justice charges for allegedly helping a man in the country illegally evade immigration officials as he left her Newton, Mass., courthouse after a hearing in 2018. Photo: Steven Senne/AP
A legal fight over records related to a Massachusetts judge charged with obstructing immigration officials in the courthouse is “rooted in speculation,” attorneys for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a filing Monday.
After prosecutors accused Newton District Court Judge Shelley Joseph in 2019 of helping an undocumented immigrant evade ICE custody, the American Civil Liberties Union and government watchdog group American Oversight sued the agency over its refusal to fill a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to the incident. They sought “all communications” of seven top ICE aides concerning Joseph and her arrest.
