Someone wanted the letter to look real.
On thick white paper with an image of the state seal atop the page, the typed seven-paragraph missive reads like a confession from a probate court judge ashamed of granting restraining orders to women.
The writer claims to be a Plymouth County judge, but the letter, which talks about rekindling a relationship with Jesus Christ and promises that the writer will resign for making “unlawful decisions” is fake, officials said Thursday.
About five such letters were mailed this week — one of them to the Globe — and Massachusetts State Police are now trying to uncover who is behind them.
Trial Court officials referred the case to police after the letters began circulating.
“Because of the safety concerns judges face, given the nature of the work they do, we refer to law enforcement not only clearly threatening communications, which are rare, but also correspondences that are potentially harassing, which are not uncommon,” Trial Court Security Director Jeffrey Morrow said in a statement.
The judge, whose name the Globe is withholding, declined to comment on the letter.
“I didn’t write it,” the judge said in a brief phone interview.
Legal observers said it’s not unusual for judges who work in family and probate court — where emotionally charged decisions such as child custody and divorce settlements are made — to get threatening letters or phone calls.
Retired Probate Court Judge Edward Ginsburg said he once asked State Police for protection after a series of threats from an unhappy litigant.
“You deal often with people who are very disturbed, that’s one way of putting it,” Ginsburg said. “You deal sometimes with people in very problematic situations.”
But the effort to impersonate a judge with the apparent goal of trying to embarrass him publicly is frighteningly creative and insidious, said Martin Healy, chief operating officer and chief legal counsel of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
“This is something that is unprecedented in terms of behavior that I’ve seen in the past,” Healy said. “If people had believed the letter to be true, it could have destroyed his reputation and career as a judge.”
The letter states that the judge will deny any request that benefits someone pushing for a “no contact” order.
People reporting abuse often seek such orders to keep their perpetrators away, but some fathers’ rights groups in recent years have claimed that many orders are filed falsely, a sentiment the letter writer seems to echo.
“I will deny any request that benefits the plaintiff in future civil or criminal matters. (Excluding signs of obvious physical abuse),” the letter states.
The letter also stated that the judge was essentially admitting to ruling inappropriately in the past, which could have led to a judicial misconduct investigation or appeals by anyone subject to a restraining order issued by the judge if the letter were real, Healy said.
The letter writer even signed the judge’s name in black ink. It’s unclear whether that by itself is a crime in Massachusetts.
Detectives assigned to the Plymouth District Attorney’s office are looking into the matter, said Bridget Norton Middleton, spokeswoman for District Attorney Timothy Cruz.
She stopped short of calling it a criminal investigation.
State Police spokesman David Procopio said detectives will look at recent decisions by the judge and examine closely the contents of the letter for clues.
“While there may not be an explicit threat in the letter, it’s potentially harassing behavior,” Procopio said. “We would like to determine who is sending the letters and what their motivations are.”
Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @globemcramer.