A SHARPLY DIVIDED commission established to study qualified immunity – a controversial legal doctrine that shields police officers and other public employees from liability from civil lawsuits – is recommending […]
Courts
Posted inUncategorized
Pilot program aims to prevent child welfare removals
AS AN ATTORNEY for Community Legal Aid in Springfield, child welfare attorney Madeline Weaver Blanchette is used to seeing families mid-catastrophe, after a child has been removed by child protective services. Last […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
High court sides with DOC on prison COVID rules
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled Thursday that the Department of Correction has not been “deliberately indifferent” to inmates’ health during the COVID pandemic, because it took precautions and, most significantly, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bill would let Tompkins hold men solely for substance use treatment
SUFFOLK COUNTY SHERIFF Steven Tompkins could get permission to treat people civilly committed for substance use disorders in the Suffolk County jail, under a bill pending before the Legislature that […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawyer license application seeks gender, sex info
LAWYERS SEEKING a license to practice in Massachusetts are now being required to provide demographic data on themselves, including their race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Margot Botsford, a retired […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker refiles marijuana-impaired driving bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday announced that he is taking another run at passing a bill to stop people from driving while impaired by marijuana. Baker said the bill will […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Can sheriffs collect lucrative commissions from inmate phone calls?
FOR YEARS, Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson’s office collected hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in telephone fees paid by family members, attorneys, and others who received calls from county […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Drug Addiction
A fix for the crisis at Mass. and Cass?
ACTING MAYOR Kim Janey declared last week that Boston will move to dismantle the tent city of homeless people that has grown in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Tsarnaev appeal centers on juror bias in the social media age
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Common license. THE US SUPREME COURT heard oral argument last week in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the lone surviving […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC refuses to dismiss Patrick whistleblower case
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Tuesday refused to dismiss a whistleblower case filed against the state after former governor Deval Patrick fired a subordinate who questioned a hearing officer’s decision […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Hampden DA notifying 8,000 criminal defendants of police misconduct
AMID NATIONAL CALLS for police reform and greater transparency in law enforcement, the Springfield Police Department has become a troubling example of what can happen without strong public accountability. Last […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Trial Court chief Paula Carey to retire
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TRIAL COURT CHIEF JUSTICE Paula Carey, one of the most influential figures in the Massachusetts judiciary, plans to retire early next year after the better part […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC sets limits on use of police body camera footage
AS THE MASSACHUSETTS Legislature continues to study how to regulate police-worn body cameras, the Supreme Judicial Court on Friday established legal limits on how body camera footage can be used. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC urged to reduce prison population during COVID
THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION is not doing enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 because it has failed to take meaningful steps to reduce its prison population, prisoners’ rights advocates […]
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 inCriminal Justice
Home where youth worker was killed saw recent rise in assaults
THE SPRINGFIELD HOME for court-involved juveniles where youth worker James Hillman was fatally assaulted on June 30 was no stranger to violent altercations – and in fact, the number of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins received severance agreement from Massport
SUFFOLK COUNTY District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who was nominated last week by President Biden to become the next US attorney for the District of Massachusetts, has a very strong resume, […]
Posted inOpinion
A sensible state response to the Britney Spears case
THE BRITNEY SPEARS case has called attention to what can go wrong under legal guardianship or conservatorship. For example, we cannot know exactly why it took so long to let […]
Posted inEconomy
End of eviction moratorium brings worry
ANXIETY IS HIGH among tenants, landlords, and housing advocates as the midnight Saturday expiration date for the federal eviction moratorium looms, but what the end of the tenant protection will […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC urges Legislature to update marijuana laws
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Friday urged the Legislature to update the state’s marijuana law to provide “much-needed clarity” on issues surrounding the agreements between marijuana shops and their host communities. […]
Posted inEconomy
Healey charges Grubhub with exceeding pandemic fee cap
DURING THE PANDEMIC, as restaurants pivoted to offering take-out meals rather than sit-down dining, they complained that third-party delivery apps were charging them exorbitant fees for providing delivery services. In response, the Legislature imposed a […]
Posted inUncategorized
David Burgos, 16, charged with murdering youth services worker
DAVID BURGOS, a 16-year-old from Springfield, has been charged with murdering youth services worker James Hillman. Hillman, 60, also of Springfield, was an employee of the Center for Human Development […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Report rips Boston police handling of Rose case
A CITY-COMMISSIONED REPORT into the case involving former Boston police officer Patrick Rose, who was charged with child sexual abuse in the mid 1990s but nonetheless remained on the force […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
James Hillman, DYS youth worker attacked by juvenile, dies
AN EMPLOYEE WHO worked at a residence for juvenile offenders in Springfield has died weeks after he was attacked by a juvenile who lived there. The employee was identified by […]