WHEN A YOUNG PERSON is convicted of a crime, Massachusetts and the federal government agree that they shouldn’t be put into the same custody as adult convicts. But one state […]
Courts
Posted inCourts, Opinion, Race/Racism, State Government
Open the doors to closed juvenile sessions
THE APPARENT DEATH of Harmony Montgomery following her placement with her father in New Hampshire has fueled emotionally charged discussions regarding what happened in court, legal questions about the Interstate […]
Posted inCourts, Education, Health, Health Care
Court says social worker, school district not liable in student suicide
IF SOMETHING IS going wrong in a child’s life – slipping grades, anxiety, depression, injury, or worse – their school community can see warning signs that may not always show […]
Posted inCourts, Housing, State Government, State House News Service
Bill would ensure tenant access to lawyers in eviction cases
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LOW-INCOME TENANTS who are at risk of being evicted could gain access to free legal representation through a proposed program that garnered support from housing attorneys […]
Posted inCourts, Environment, Housing
Norwell homeowners pit affordable housing against conservation
WHEN MEMBERS of a Norwell town meeting voted almost 20 years ago to make a 6.3-acre piece of land available for affordable housing, they might have considered being a bit […]
Posted inCourts, Economy
SJC sides with Galvin in imposing higher standards on broker-dealers
IN THE WORLD OF FINANCE, only those who offer specific investment advice have been held to the highest standard of care for their clients. When Secretary of State Bill Galvin […]
Posted inPolitics
A religious wrinkle in the rent control debate
OPPONENTS OF a potential ballot initiative allowing for a local rent control option are covering all their bases in urging Attorney General Andrea Campbell not to certify it. In between […]
Posted inEducation
After affirmative action blow, legacy preference draws focus
AFTER THE US SUPREME COURT ruled this spring to significantly scale back higher educational institutions’ use of affirmative action, advocacy and civil rights groups wound up for a counter-punch at […]
Posted inCourts, Religion, State Government
Massachusetts cities and towns have spent millions restoring historic religious sites. They don’t know if it was constitutional.
FOR NEARLY two centuries, the Acton Congregational Church has stood serenely in the town’s main square, its pews offering a welcoming haven for spiritual renewal and quiet reflection. Starting in […]
Posted inPolitics
For Lara, a lot of explaining
“IF YOU’RE EXPLAINING, you’re losing,” according to a quip credited to Ronald Reagan. For the Hollywood actor-turned-president, regarded as a master communicator, that meant delivering a straightforward message that voters […]
Posted inEducation
UMass Dartmouth arts college exiting downtown New Bedford. Who’s to blame?
THE ABRUPT announcement Monday that the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts would be immediately vacating a downtown New Bedford building, where it’s been housed for […]
Posted inPolitics
Ballot face-off over gig workers looms
TWO YEARS AGO, Massachusetts braced itself for what was expected to be the most expensive ballot measure campaign in the state’s history. That question, brought by ride-hailing companies to classify […]
Posted inCourts, Opinion, State Government
The state’s child welfare system is ‘infected with dysfunction’
IT IS AN unfortunate truth that Massachusetts, with all of its famous hospitals and prestigious universities, has among the most abysmal track records of any state of caring for children […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Opinion
It’s time to end eternal punishment for young adults
DIRCEU SEMEDO is in his 31st year of a life sentence in Massachusetts. Nearly 50 years old now, at age 18 he participated in an assault that resulted in a […]
Posted inGuns
Mariano says gun bill needs more work
HOUSE SPEAKER Ronald Mariano sent an email to all House members Monday night dropping his bid to gain quick passage of omnibus gun control legislation and instead pledging to address […]
Posted inOpinion
Two Thomas decisions declare ‘war on innocence’
TWO SUPREME COURT opinions written by Justice Clarence Thomas and issued in the past month, Shinn v. Ramirez and Jones v. Hendricks, look like routine attacks on the Warren Court’s protections for […]
Posted inEducation
Mass. scrambles after affirmative action ruling
EDUCATION, BUSINESS, AND government entities in the Bay State expressed outrage and despair at the US Supreme Court decision striking down the use of race in college admissions, which sets […]
Posted inCourts, Education, State House News Service
Supreme Court strikes down use of race in admissions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE NATION’S HIGHEST COURT on Thursday declared that two major colleges violated the Constitution by considering a student’s race as a factor in admissions, a landmark […]
Posted inCourts, Economy, Opinion
Apprenticeships offer debt-free career path
IT’S A SIMPLE FACT — when workers have access to good-paying union jobs with family-sustaining benefits and strong worker protections, they don’t just lift up themselves, they lift up entire […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Commission urges New England states to prioritize prison education
IF EDUCATION IS key to a better life, that may hold double for those who are incarcerated. People who land in prison tend to have low educational attainment levels, while […]
Posted inCourts, State House News Service
Feds tell automakers not to comply with Mass. law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION officials dealt a major blow to a voter-approved Massachusetts law boosting access to motor vehicle telematic data, warning that the measure on the state’s […]
Posted inCourts, State House News Service
Cypher stepping down from SJC, giving Healey a pick
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SUPREME JUDICIAL Court Justice Elspeth Cypher plans to step down in January, giving Gov. Maura Healey a chance to appoint someone to the state’s highest court […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
To address police recruit shortage, raise standards
POLICE DEPARTMENTS across the Commonwealth and around the country are concerned about declining numbers of qualified recruits. The Boston Globe reported two months ago that the number of officers who […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Could Harvard affirmative action ruling threaten Boston exam school policies?
ALL EYES IN the higher education world are on the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule any day on whether universities can use race as a factor in admissions […]
