The Bay State’s housing crunch seemed to reach into all corners in 2025, tying up courts, lawmakers navigating climate and transportation concerns, groups dependent on federal fair housing funding, and services promising to make it easier for more people to afford to live in pricey Massachusetts.
Courts
Posted inHousing
MBTA Communities fight heads back to the SJC
A group of holdout towns is banking on the very court that declared the legislation mandatory in January to rule that the mandate is illegal without dedicated funding.
Posted inCourts
AG’s suit against Meta hits the SJC
The case, scheduled for oral argument Friday morning, puts Massachusetts at the center of a debate over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from lawsuits over user-generated content.
Posted inEducation
Suit to block Education Department closure expanded amid agency transfers plans
In May, a federal judge in Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction in the consolidated case, blocking the administration’s efforts, including a reduction in force effort at the agency.
Posted inBallot Questions
Ballot measures must clear courts, lawmakers, and voters
As the secretary of state’s office certifies hundreds of thousands of signatures submitted on behalf of the proposed 2026 ballot questions, campaigns and ballot initiative veterans estimate about half of the questions could be vulnerable to legal challenges, though not all may materialize.
Posted inOpinion
On bail policy, Massachusetts must catch up
Massachusetts has positioned itself as a leader on a range of policy domains under attack by the Trump administration. But as a national conversation has arisen about cash bail and public safety, fueled by misinformation from the White House, Massachusetts is on the sidelines.
Posted inEnvironment
Massachusetts agencies never followed a 2017 rule to cut emissions from state vehicles, court documents show
The rule was issued under Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and followed a landmark court ruling that found the state needed to issue more specific and stringent regulations in order to meet the 2050 climate commitment.
Posted inCourts
Bar advocate work stoppage becomes an SJC separation-of-powers conundrum
Over the course of 70 minutes of arguments by the two sides, and pointed questioning from the justices, none of the Supreme Judicial Court’s seven judges appeared eager to snatch the power of the purse from Beacon Hill lawmakers.
Posted inCourts
SJC considers whether charter schools must obey public records laws
The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, in rebuffing at least 10 public records requests for information on various aspects of its operations, insists that it is not covered by the sweeping statute guaranteeing public access to the records of government entities.
Posted inOpinion
The case for raising the age of Juvenile Court jurisdiction has only grown stronger
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE is again debating whether to raise the age of Juvenile Court jurisdiction to include 18 to 20-year-old youth. The last time the state raised the age was […]
Posted inCourts
Four Supreme Judicial Court cases to watch in November
In November, the seven Supreme Judicial Court justices will wrestle with some disputes that are years or decades in the making. Others touch on current crises. And the Legislature’s action or inaction is often a factor.
Posted inOpinion
DiZoglio misfires in attack on attorney general
MASSACHUSETTS STATE AUDITOR Diana DiZoglio recently called in to Boston Public Radio and accused Attorney General Andrea Campbell of “working with the legislative leaders to block the audit that the […]
Posted inCourts
When the courthouse leads to the therapist’s office
The mental health courts make a compelling offer: If the participants agree to use it, the system will connect them with long-term and accessible mental health supports often out of reach for people in prison or just trying to navigate the crunched behavioral health landscape. But they are expensive, resource intensive, and serve just a fraction of the people in need of mental health services in and out of the criminal justice system.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Why elect sheriffs anyway?
The governor appoints a corrections professional to oversee state prisons. So why do we elect people who are essentially regional correctional commissioners, with voters often having little basis to evaluate whether they’re doing a good job or not?
Posted inCourts
Mass. public defender agency hires 22 new attorneys in rapid expansion
In addition to continued hiring in fiscal year 2026, plans call for a single hiring initiative in fiscal year 2027 that will feature 100 new attorneys.
Posted inCourts
Flexible financing or illegal reverse mortgage? Court allows suit over home equity investments to move forward
Though states including Massachusetts are considering possible rules for this novel product, which exchanges a lump sum for a share in home equity, HEI companies operate largely without regulation.
Posted inState Government
Deal to raise bar advocate pay panned as ‘a slap in the face’
Legislative leaders on Wednesday rolled out a take-it-or-leave-it proposal that some dissatisfied attorneys quickly slammed as insufficient.
Posted inCourts
Lawyer work stoppage crisis hits the juvenile justice system
As the bar advocate work stoppage crisis ramps up in the courts, public defenders argue say an already “untenable” problem securing counsel for young offenders is hitting a breaking point.
Posted inOpinion
Right-wing group’s attacks undermining freedom of inquiry in education
The scope of the far right’s project to abolish our freedoms to inquire and learn is breathtaking.
Posted inOpinion
With birthright case, class actions emerging as important tool against reckless Trump actions
The question now is how broadly the class action process could be used to address other issues where the government has taken illegal action against large groups of Americans across state lines.
