On December 2nd the Boston Globe published an article suggesting that a judge in
the Massachusetts Newton District Court may have helped a defendant escape from
a federal ICE official waiting to arrest the defendant. (Newton is a well-to-do
liberal suburb neighboring Boston.) https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/01/newton-judge-role-reportedly-examined-after-immigrant-evades-ice/Mshdn3gIlPZhVA7mZ9fa3M/story.html.
The Governor, viewed in this heavily Democratic state as a responsible moderate
Republican who does not support the President, reacted to the article in a very
Trump-like manner. He said that the judge should be removed from hearing
criminal cases until a federal investigation of the judge was completed. The
usually liberal Boston Globe
published an editorial that essentially supported the Governor’s point of view.
(However, the Globe also published
two op-eds and letters supporting the judge.)
I decided to speak out in support of the judge. The Globe printed
my letter online yesterday along with two other letters that also supported the
judge: https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/letters/2018/12/07/speaking-judge-defense-over-alleged-bid-thwart-ice/HqX3fh0AC2CCf2eeotvQRM/story.html
This is my letter with the Globe’s headline:
Baker, Globe editorial tromp
on due process for judge
Thanks to Adrian Walker for
speaking out in support of Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph (“Judge deserves due process,” Globe Metro, Dec. 5). Governor Baker (“Baker seeks to penalize judge,” Page A1, Dec. 4) and,
in its own way, even the Globe editorial (“A state judge courts trouble,” Dec. 5) found Joseph
guilty until proven innocent. As Walker points out, the governor has advocated
for a denial of due process. Such denial would be shameful.
Furthermore, we should support
the judge even if she was guilty as charged. It would show only that she cares
about the well-being of people in trouble and has a conscience that should be
respected and admired.
John L. Hodge
Jamaica Plain
