BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts judge was indicted Thursday on charges that she helped a man who was living in the U.S. illegally evade an immigration agent by sneaking out the back door of a courthouse.
District Court Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph and onetime court officer Wesley MacGregor were charged with obstruction of justice in the case, which developed from accusations that they schemed to let the man escape after a hearing last year on charges that included drug possession.
The charges against Joseph and MacGregor were swiftly condemned by the state’s attorney general, who called the case “a radical and politically-motivated attack” on the courts by federal authorities.
Lawyers, judges and advocates have criticized President Donald Trump’s administration for stepping up immigration arrests at courthouses, saying it is disrupting the criminal justice system and scaring people away from halls of justice.
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said the charges were not meant to send a message about immigration policy. Everyone must be held to the rule of law, even the privileged and powerful, he said.
“From certain corners I have heard the occasional gasp of dismay or outrage at the notion of holding a judge accountable for violating federal law,” Lelling said. “But if the law is not applied equally it cannot credibly be applied to anyone.”
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