[caww]

The Globe obtained a recording of this:

Minutes into the Newton District Court hearing for Jose Medina-Perez, his defense attorney asked the judge if he could approach the bench for a quick chat.

There, in hushed tones and whispers, the attorney walked through his client’s predicament with District Judge Shelley M. Joseph and a state prosecutor. They debated what to do with the defendant, who was in immediate danger of being deported.

Medina-Perez, picked up by Newton police on drug charges, faced a fugitive warrant for drunken driving in Pennsylvania and a detainer from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a courtroom audio recording of the bench conference. In fact, an ICE agent was in the courthouse, waiting to detain Perez and start the deportation process.

“ICE is going to get him,” the judge told the attorneys during the April 2 sidebar conversation. “What if we continue [the case]?” she suggested, before instructing a clerk to turn off the courtroom’s audio recorder. Whatever was said during the next 58 seconds went unrecorded.

Minutes later, Medina-Perez was escorted downstairs, released from custody, and allowed out a back door, according to two people briefed on the episode. He scaled a fence and took off, leaving the immigration agent behind, the people said.

[rlmorel]

Reading that account is astonishing, and creates an enormous amount of anger in normal, law-abiding citizens.

Just wow.

We all understand what they go through to use pretzel logic to twist and distort the legal system to let scum like this walk free, and we despise that.

But this level of bold chicanery in direct view of people establishes a new standard of legal malpractice.

[rlmorel]

"...What if we continue [the case]?” she suggested, before instructing a clerk to turn off the courtroom’s audio recorder..."

That is recorded criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice right there. Not sure how she thinks she is going to get out of being prosecuted successfully for this, though I have no doubt she and her numerous allies think she will weasel out of it.

Here is a case that demonstrates how meaningful the rule of law is in this country.

[sparklite2]

He scaled a fence and took off, all the while
thinking gringos are suicidal ...

[thecodont]

He scaled a fence and took off, leaving the immigration agent behind, the people said.

Not surprised.