In a wide-ranging interview in a West Roxbury municipal court, Chief Justice Budd reflects on her career and how to combat mistrust in courts during a divided time.
Courts
Posted inHousing
MBTA Communities law is not an unfunded mandate, judge rules
The decision dismisses suits brought by towns who argued the state should not be allowed to force compliance with the MBTA Communities multifamily zoning law.
Posted inCourts
Pay increase doesn’t undercut union retaliation claim in Newton, SJC rules
The Supreme Judicial Court decided against adopting a rule that would allow an employer to retaliate for union activity just because they met the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
Posted inCourts
New England AGs to Trump: ‘Bring it on’
Attorneys general, advocacy organizations, and individuals have leveled dozens of lawsuits at the Trump administration. They say that executive actions targeting immigration, the global economy, public health and scientific research funding, higher education, and marginalized groups are “unlawful” and “damaging.”
Posted inPolitics
Former state senator defends position at nursing home in receivership
The judge’s initial concerns came days after a hearing in which Dianne Wilkerson and Joseph Feaster, the court-appointed receiver, took the stand.
Posted inCourts
High court probes whether former state senator should be immune from conflict of interest charges
Former state senator Dean Tran’s ethics violation case goes to the Supreme Judicial Court, tasked with considering just how broad “legislative immunity” protections are for lawmakers who run afoul of conflict of interest law.
Posted inCourts
Lawyers challenge customs officials’ constitutional authority to deport Brown Medicine kidney doctor
An amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts Monday contends that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers who refused entry to Alawieh at Boston Logan International Airport lacked the constitutional authority to deport her back to Lebanon.
Posted inHealth Care
Troubled Boston nursing home could face $5 million deficit by end of year
Reviewing financial documents in court, Superior Court Judge Christopher Belezos said the future viability of the Benjamin Healthcare Center must be determined soon.
Posted inOpinion
DiZoglio misses chance to make her case by opting to tweet, not testify, on her quest to audit the Legislature
The Senate subcommittee hearing offers the auditor the opportunity to make the case that her demand of the Legislature is consistent with constitutional principles, but it seems that she has declined to take it.
Posted inPolitics
Boston nursing home may have to be sold or closed, court-appointed overseer says
The options include finding a buyer for the facility, or closing up the nursing home and selling off the building and the land it sits on.
Posted inCourts
Judge orders HUD to release $30 million in grants to fair housing groups
In approving a temporary restraining order to return federal grant money, a Massachusetts judge said options were limited by a recent Department of Education case.
Posted inHealth Care
Fresh allegations of mismanagement swirl around Benjamin Health Center, court documents show
Established in 1927, the Benjamin has more than 80 patients and residents, the vast majority of them people of color.
Posted inHousing
Anti-discrimination housing orgs sue to ‘quite literally keep the lights on’
Less than a month after tens of millions of dollars in fair housing cuts dropped, organizations are scrambling to adjust operations while suing the Trump administration.
Posted inCourts
MBTA can be sued over assault by bus driver, SJC rules
There are good reasons to make sure public employers aren’t held responsible for the actions of third parties out of their control, but the state’s high court concluded the MBTA is not automatically immune from suit if an employee causes harm.
Posted inCourts
SJC gives a Second Amendment win to Mass. lawmakers looking to license non-residents
Dual opinions from the high court signals that even under a tougher standard for determining the constitutionality of gun regulations recently set by the Supreme Court, Massachusetts’ firearms restrictions – some of the strictest in the nation – may rest on solid ground.
Posted inOpinion
Why we sued to protect Temporary Protected Status immigrants
This fight isn’t just about TPS—it’s about the rule of law, the economic fallout, and fairness.
Posted inCourts
AG Campbell sues Boston-based home equity investment firm Hometap
A new lawsuit takes aim at the world of home equity investments, a growing industry that the Attorney General Andrea Campbell claims can mislead homeowners and and devalue their equity.
Posted inOpinion
We must push back on attack on sanctuary cities
Sanctuary policies do not prevent federal immigration enforcement; they simply keep local law enforcement focused on public safety rather than acting as ICE agents.
Posted inCourts
Is Harvard responsible for the alleged sale of body parts from its medical school morgue?
It remains still unclear if the behavior of a Harvard morgue manager who allegedly ran a multi-state human remains scheme – “ghoulish” in the words of a Supreme Judicial Court justice considering the case – means that the Ivy League school is also on the hook.
Posted inCourts
SJC upholds conviction of officer who used evidence room cash to pay mortgage
Against the backdrop of police reportedly availing themselves of forfeited money, the state’s highest court held that criminal penalties were fairly applied in a West Springfield police department case.
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s reckless attack on birthright citizenship
We fought many battles like this during the first Trump administration, and we expect to fight many more still.
Posted inImmigration
Trump citizenship order draws quick lawsuit
President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to redefine birthright citizenship drew an immediate lawsuit from immigrants’ rights groups, including the ACLU of Massachusetts, and another subsequent complaint from Attorney General Andrea Campbell and more than a dozen of her peers.
Posted inHousing
An MBTA Communities reality check
Days after the SJC ruled on the MBTA Communities Act, proponents consider the way the housing law was pitched and debated. Greg Reibman, president of the Charles River Regional Chamber, and Luc Schuster, executive director of Boston Indicators at the Boston Foundation.
Posted inHousing
SJC says attorney general can enforce MBTA Communities Act, but state must rework regs
The state housing office must re-issue its MBTA Communities law guidelines, after the Supreme Judicial Court held that the attorney general can enforce the sweeping housing law as long as the guidelines are promulgated correctly.
