After federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges against a Massachusetts judge, the state's Commission on Judicial Conduct filed formal ethics charges Monday against her for allegedly allowing a defendant to illegally evade an immigration detainer.

As part of a plea agreement in September 2022, Newton District Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph referred herself to the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct, which investigates allegations of judicial misconduct. After an investigation, the commission filed formal charges against Joseph with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The commission accused Joseph of helping a defendant with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer to exit the courthouse through a back exit to avoid arrest by an ICE officer waiting outside her courtroom in 2018.