The Governor’s Council paid relatively little attention to Supreme Judicial Court nominee Gabrielle Wolohojian’s past romantic relationship with Gov. Maura Healey, focusing instead on artificial intelligence’s threat to the judiciary and a court case involving a dog named Peppermint.
Courts
Posted inOpinion
Why logic supports the merger of JetBlue, Spirit
The problem with the judge’s logical analysis is that it denies JetBlue and Spirit all the tools to take on the big boys. Together, Delta, American, Southwest, and United carry over three quarters of all US airline traffic, a share which gives them advantages that are difficult to match when it comes to both sales and operations.
Posted inCourts
Courts preparing to give restorative justice a try
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM has a well-founded reputation for focusing on punishing offenders, but the Massachusetts court system is preparing to launch a three-year experiment this spring utilizing an approach […]
Posted inCourts
When is a spouse not a spouse under Medicaid rules?
After five years of back and forth on the issue, including three formal hearings, MassHealth denied Tingos coverage, even after he passed away in 2020. The state agency said Tingos’s wife was not “genuinely uncooperative.”
Posted inCourts
Former alderman gets two years in federal bribery case that rocked Somerville and Medford
An attempt to bribe Medford’s police chief –- part of a scheme to obtain approvals for a marijuana company that would earn him a six-figure yearly payout – earned former Somerville attorney and alderman Sean O’Donovan a two-year federal prison sentence
Posted inCourts
Healey nominates former partner for state’s highest court
A New York native, Gabrielle Wolohojian was appointed to the Appeals Court by Gov. Deval Patrick, and has authored 900 decisions while sitting on 2,700 appeals since 2008.
Posted inCourts
No easy answers on child protection — but here’s a start
A move by state government to separate a child from their family is among the most difficult decisions government makes. We can create a system that protects children and supports families by following 5 key principles.
Posted inCourts
O’Brien’s lawyer says he’s ‘unaware’ of probe behind subpoena report
A lawyer for suspended cannabis regulator Shannon O’Brien said he’s not aware of any federal investigation into his client and has not the subpoena that the Boston Globe reported was sent to state officials last fall.
Posted inCourts
New gig work ballot question lawsuit explained
A coalition of labor leaders and ride-share drivers is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to block ballot measures that would classify the drivers as independent contractors rather than employees under Massachusetts law – and the suit may feel like déjà vu.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Incarceration and crime rates both down sharply since 2018 reforms
Five years after Massachusetts enacted sweeping reforms aimed at reducing incarceration and addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, a new study says the state has seen sharp decreases in both incarceration and crime rates.
Posted inOpinion
A generational ban on tobacco products is a bad idea
Ultimately, the flavor ban did not eliminate consumer use of flavored tobacco products. It just shifted where consumers purchased their goods.
Posted inPolitics
Short takes: Baker makes his exit from Mass. politics official
According to campaign finance records, his gubernatorial campaign account was dissolved on January 4 and so was the super PAC that he helped launch in 2019 to support largely centrist candidates across Massachusetts.
Posted inCourts
No life without parole for those under 21, SJC rules
In a national first, a close SJC ruling declared it unconstitutional to sentence anyone under the age of 21 to life without the possibility of parole.
Posted inCourts
SJC takes another swing at Uber ‘clickwrap’ contracts
Are the current “terms and conditions” details that ride-share passengers must agree to sufficient, or are they signing away certain legal rights without enough notice?
Posted inCourts
Healey’s SJC pick questioned about lack of judicial experience
“I would bring a lot of experience with the different courts of the Commonwealth, in a different way,” Bessie Dewar said.
Posted inCourts
State solicitor tapped as Healey’s first SJC pick
Gov. Maura Healey has picked Elizabeth “Bessie” Dewar, the state solicitor and a former US Supreme Court clerk, as her first nomination to the state Supreme Judicial Court.
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC weighs officer privacy against public records rights
The Supreme Judicial Court is wading into a drawn-out public records fight stemming from the Bristol County District Attorney’s refusal to release documents, recorded interviews, and the names of officers involved in the 2021 fatal shooting of 30-year-old Anthony Harden.
Posted inCourts
SJC Justice Lowy to leave bench, take post as UMass counsel
Supreme Judicial Court Justice David Lowy will leave the bench on February 3 – well before the required retirement age of 70 – to serve as general counsel of the University of Massachusetts system.
Posted inCourts
Switchblades in the SJC firing line
The state’s highest court is preparing to consider whether an absolute ban on carrying switchblade knives violates the Second Amendment.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Study finds Boston shoplifting rates up from pre-pandemic levels
With Black Friday signaling the arrival of the holiday shopping season, a new report says shoplifting rates in Boston are up compared to levels before the pandemic, though the city has avoided the spike in retail theft that several major US cities have experienced.
Posted inCourts
SJC prods Brookline’s ‘novel’ phased tobacco ban
The Supreme Judicial Court is weighing the legality of a Brookline ordinance that bans tobacco sales to anyone born in 2000 or later, a move that would eventually phase out all tobacco sales in the town.
Posted inEducation
SJC justices raise concerns about Tufts tenure tinkering
The Supreme Judicial Court hears arguments about a change to the tenure guidelines at Tufts School of Medicine that cuts salaries of those who fail to raise enough money to support their labs. Several justices seemed wary of the changes.
Posted inCourts
Short takes: Extended hunt for SJC justice
“Third time’s the charm” is a proverb, not necessarily a legal doctrine. Even so, the team tasked by Gov. Maura Healey to help fill an upcoming vacancy on the state’s highest court is again extending the application deadline for people interested in becoming a justice on the Supreme Judicial Court.
Posted inCourts
Judge sides with Healey administration in capping emergency shelter program
A Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a bid to block Gov. Maura Healey from capping the state’s emergency shelter program, saying the governor was only taking steps to live within the appropriation provided by the Legislature.
