A hearing officer with the Commission for Judicial Conduct recommended a public reprimand for Judge Shelley Joseph, who faced federal charges during the first Trump administration related to a man who evaded immigration agents at a Newton courthouse.

A 117-page report by Denis McInerney released on Thursday found that the judge “is a thoughtful, diligent, and conscientious judge undeserving of the harsh public criticism she has received” after the events of April 2, 2018, that led to a federal indictment.

Then-U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling brought several charges against the judge in 2019 and federal prosecutors said that Joseph helped a man, who was the subject of an immigration detainer, avoid capture by exiting through a side door of a Newton courthouse.

The charges were dismissed in

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