STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE TOP STATE judge in Massachusetts wants lawmakers to make more funding available for low-income Bay Staters to get legal representation in civil matters, warning that recent […]
Civil and Constitutional Rights
Posted inCriminal Justice
Mass. police surveillance case could go to Supreme Court
THE ACLU is asking the US Supreme Court to consider a Massachusetts case that could set limits on the police’s ability to conduct long-term camera surveillance without obtaining a search […]
Posted inOpinion
Britney Spears case isn’t illustrative of much
THE UNFORTUNATE experience Britney Spears has had under guardianship should not be construed to imply that all guardianship arrangements are abusive or exploitative. And the Spears case should not be […]
Posted inOpinion
Give 16-year-olds the right to vote
IN 1971, AFTER INTENSE youth advocacy, the United States lowered the voting age to eighteen through the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution. Although some people had advocated for decades […]
Posted inOpinion
Ruling on milllionaire tax right one constitutionally
AS A PLAINTIFF in the lawsuit Anderson v. Attorney General, I applaud the court’s decision, although I don’t consider myself or the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the organization that I represent, […]
Posted inOpinion
Ruling could have big impact in Massachusetts
THE UNITED STATES has a single constitution, but interpretations of that document handed down by federal courts often have divergent impacts across the country. Such is the case with the […]
Posted inEconomy
DeLeo: House to respond to court’s union ruling
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS LAWMAKERS MULL THE IMPACTS of a US Supreme Court ruling seen as a devastating blow to public sector labor unions, the Massachusetts House is hoping […]
Posted inOpinion
Why free speech must be defended
ON SATURDAY – and earlier this month – students around the country organized marches and staged a nationwide walkout to honor the lives of the 17 people killed at Marjory […]
Posted inThe Download
Is it time to talk about gun violence?
When Adam Lanza, an anti-social misanthrope who shot and killed his mother in Newtown, Connecticut, and then took her gun arsenal and slaughtered 20 six- and seven-year-olds and a half-dozen […]
Posted inThe Download
Eminent domain dust-ups
Brookline says it needs a new elementary school to accommodate its bulging population of school-age children. Waltham says it needs a new high school. Both seem like perfectly worthy pursuits. […]
Posted inThe Download
Will players stand for anthem mandate?
The billionaires blinked. In the wake of weeks of threats and invective from President Trump and the increasing number of fans who are incensed that NFL players are protesting by […]
Posted inThe Download
The First Monday in October
While everyone’s focus is on President Trump’s battles with, well, everyone, one of the most important decisions he’s made so far will begin to show results today when the newly […]
Posted inOpinion
Turning protest into policy reform
AS 40,000 PEOPLE converged on the streets of Boston in late August to march against white supremacy, Massachusetts stood as a beacon of nationwide resistance to the racist policies coming […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker opens a legal can of worms
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER filed new legislation last month to battle the opioid crisis. His bill proposes some “important updates” to our arsenal of weapons in this fight, one of which, he […]
Posted inThe Download
Come clean on pot use
The Cannabis Control Commission met for the first time on Monday, and two of the five members refused to say whether they had ever smoked pot. Commissioners Jennifer Flanagan, a […]
Posted inThe Download
Perchance to dream
College campuses are anxiously waiting for President Trump’s decision on whether to dismantle or even substantially change the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA was an executive order from then-President […]
Posted inThe Download
City, Boston teachers kick the can
City officials and the Boston Teachers Union eagerly shared the news on Thursday that the two sides reached a tentative contract agreement after 18 months of negotiation. But it turns […]
Posted inThe Download
Grateful for the generals
A hallmark of American democracy has always been that a civilian, the president, is the ultimate commander in chief of the armed forces. It is perhaps the strongest signal we […]
Posted inThe Download
Smart money in Massachusetts
Back in 1990, during his run for governor, John Silber made the somewhat controversial observation that not everyone is college material and those folks would be better off focusing on […]
Posted inThe Download
How many white supremacists at rally?
An estimated 40,000 people turned out on Saturday to say no to hate, racism, and neo-Nazis, but it remains unclear how many of the 50 people at the free speech […]
Posted inThe Download
Hating on the haters
Boston is no place for hate – and we’ll beat you and isolate you to prove it. Message sent, message received. From elected officials to the 15,000 to 40,000 demonstrators […]
Posted inThe Download
Feds overreach on Teamsters
The feds came up short again on Tuesday in trying to turn obnoxious or even sleazy behavior into federal crimes. It happened when the US Attorney’s office in Boston tried […]
Posted inThe Download
McCain goes maverick-y
In the end, John McCain, whose career has been marked by periods of both swashbuckling independence and fall-in-line toeing-the-Republican party line, chose the former for what may go down as […]
Posted inThe Download
MassHealth votes represent major shift
The Legislature’s rejection of Gov. Charlie Baker’s MassHealth savings initiatives represents a big political shift on Beacon Hill. In the past, Democratic lawmakers have largely ceded the nitty gritty of […]