AS HE CLOSES in on the end of his final term, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday issued the first pardons of his nearly 8 years in office, wiping away criminal […]
Courts
Posted inCriminal Justice
Innovative court program helps people navigate addiction services
CAPE COD DEFENSE attorney Susan Wenzel had a client with mental health and substance use issues who needed help handling both problems and had no health insurance. His criminal case […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC to referee another medical parole dispute
SINCE THE LEGISLATURE established medical parole in 2018, prisoners’ rights advocates and Department of Correction officials have been in a near-constant fight about how the law is being implemented. Advocates […]
Posted inPolitics
SJC hears Sal DiMasi lobbying case
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER Sal DiMasi is a convicted felon. But can he become a lobbyist? State law prohibits someone convicted of a felony under certain state laws from lobbying for […]
Posted inCourts, Health Care, Opinion
How a Mass. court case targeting the opioid crisis could protect abortion access
AFTER THE SUPREME COURT’S decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, several states wasted no time in enacting laws banning abortion. Many of these laws – some without exceptions for rape […]
Posted inCourts, Opinion, Politics
No conviction needed to bar Trump from the ballot
THE CONSTITUTION’S Fourteenth Amendment says that anyone who took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, but then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same,” is forever disqualified […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Quentin Palfrey platform is wish-list of progressive policies
FORMER SUFFOLK DISTRICT ATTORNEY Rachael Rollins, now the US attorney for Massachusetts, made headlines for her pledge not to prosecute certain non-violent offenses. Now, Quentin Palfrey, a Democrat running for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
AG candidates fight over fundraising, credentials
IN AN HOUR-LONG DEBATE on Wednesday, the three Democrats running for attorney general issued sharp barbs over each other’s credentials and fundraising but largely agreed on many of the substantive […]
Posted inCourts, Immigration, Politics
Judge denies Mass GOP request for restraining order against state senator
A MIDDLESEX SUPERIOR COURT judge on Friday declined to issue a restraining order sought by Massachusetts Republican Party chairman Jim Lyons against state Sen. Jamie Eldridge. Lyons wanted to keep […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Courts, Health Care, Opinion
Why the Kansas ballot question on abortion matters
MANY PEOPLE ACROSS the United States are devastated by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, which overturned a half century of precedent and abolished the federal constitutional right to abortion. […]
Posted inCourts, Drugs, Guns, Marijuana, State Government
Here’s what passed in marathon all-night legislative session
IN A MARATHON all night session, the Massachusetts Legislature finally finished many of their key priorities of the 2021-2022 legislative session, even as one key priority – tax reform – […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC rules consent required for blood alcohol test
THE POLICE CANNOT test a person’s blood to determine blood alcohol content without that person’s consent, even if the person authorized the blood draw itself, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled […]
Posted inCourts
Biden nominates reproductive rights lawyer Julie Rikelman as federal appeals court judge
PRESIDENT BIDEN will nominate prominent reproductive rights attorney Julie Rikelman, who argued in favor of abortion rights before the US Supreme Court in the Dobbs case, to be a US […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Courts
SJC quickly dismisses lawsuit over dental ballot question
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL Court quickly dismissed a lawsuit brought by opponents of a ballot question regulating dental insurance that sought to change the ballot question summary submitted by proponents. With […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker won’t sign no-cost prison calls without dangerousness bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is making another go at passing elements of his criminal dangerousness bill, this time with a bit of high-stakes legislative horse trading. Baker, in signing the fiscal […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Ex-senator Tran sues Healey over criminal charges of stealing a constituent’s gun
FORMER STATE SENATOR Dean Tran, who was indicted earlier this month on charges that he stole a gun from an elderly constituent, filed suit in federal court on Wednesday against […]
Posted inEconomy
SJC sides with Grubhub, allows arbitration requirements for drivers
GRUBHUB MAY REQUIRE its drivers to submit employment disputes to arbitration, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Wednesday. The ruling essentially codifies the status quo. But because of its potentially […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker’s dangerousness bill divides DA candidates
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S effort to bolster the state law allowing defendants to be held before trial has been shelved for now by lawmakers, who call it an unwarranted overreach, but […]
Posted inCourts
Judiciary seeks to join modern era with $164m bond bill
WHEN I RECENTLY sought a public document from a state court, the clerk asked me to request it by fax. In 2022, who operates via fax? Reporters are not alone […]
Posted inCourts, Politics, State Government
SJC upholds no-excuse voting by mail
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT will uphold the VOTES Act, the new law that allows Massachusetts residents to vote early by mail for any reason. The court on Monday announced that […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, State Government
Governor’s Council candidate would seek pro-choice, anti-racist judges
IF MARA DOLAN were interviewing a judicial nominee, she would want to know three things: whether the person supports abortion rights, whether they understand substance use disorders, and whether they […]
Posted inCourts
SJC hears arguments on whether to allow permanent voting by mail
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT is poised to decide whether to overturn the new law allowing Massachusetts residents to vote by mail for any reason. Gov. Charlie Baker on June 22 signed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
She recorded her abuser, then she faced charges
THE WOMAN’S HUSBAND pushed her down on her bed and placed a pillow over her face. He threatened her and the couple’s young child, according to court findings granting the […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should decriminalize sex work
AS THE AFTERSHOCK from the reversal of Roe. v Wade continues, Massachusetts has the opportunity to increase bodily autonomy and safety to women and gender-diverse residents. Massachusetts should decriminalize sex work […]
