IT’S PROBABLY THE highest profile capital punishment case in the country. And while it was an administration in Washington led by a Democratic president opposed to the death penalty that successfully sought reinstatement of the death penalty against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, support for capital punishment in the country is declining, with some hard-core […]
criminal justice
Posted inCriminal Justice
Supreme Court reinstates death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
THE SUPREME COURT reinstated the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in a split 6-3 decision. The decision was written by Justice Clarence Thomas. The three liberal justices on the court – Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor – dissented. In 2013, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonated homemade pressure […]
Posted inThe Download
Shifting narrative on report on traffic stops
When the Legislature passed a law banning the use of handheld cell phones while driving, a major concern voiced by lawmakers was that it would be enforced disproportionately against Black and Hispanic drivers. Lawmakers required the state to conduct an annual analysis of traffic stops to identify racial disparities. The first report resulted in mixed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
New Bedford Light calls out silence on health care exec story
WHEN FOUNDERS OF the New Bedford Light announced plans a year ago to launch a new nonprofit news site to cover the South Coast, they pointed to the desperate need for in-depth journalism that can shine a light on important issues in the region that are otherwise not adequately covered amid drastic cuts at for-profit […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC says Springfield mayor’s powers on policing have limits
SPRINGFIELD MAY BE one of the Massachusetts cities with a “strong mayor” form of government, but the mayor’s extensive powers over city government are not unlimited powers. That was the clear message in a Supreme Judicial Court ruling issued on Tuesday that represented a strong rebuke to Mayor Domenic Sarno, who had claimed unilateral power […]
Posted inThe Download
SJC says Springfield mayor’s powers on policing have limits
Springfield may be one of the Massachusetts cities with a “strong mayor” form of government, but the mayor’s extensive powers over city government are not unlimited powers. That was the clear message in a Supreme Judicial Court ruling issued on Tuesday that represented a strong rebuke to Mayor Domenic Sarno, who had claimed unilateral power […]
Posted inThe Download
Defense lawyer dismisses Baker marijuana bill as ‘junk science’
Gov. Charlie Baker has been pushing for legislation he says would give “law enforcement more tools to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.” John Amabile, president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, used other words to describe the bill: “a classic use of nonscientific junk science to potentially cause a person […]
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Defense lawyer dismisses Baker marijuana bill as ‘junk science’
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER has been pushing for legislation he says would give “law enforcement more tools to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.” John Amabile, president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, used other words to describe the bill: “a classic use of nonscientific junk science to potentially cause a person […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Hate crimes up slightly in Mass. in 2020
THE NUMBER of hate crimes in Massachusetts increased slightly in 2020, with a larger percentage related to racial and ethnic bias, according to a new report issued by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. In 2020, the report found, there were 385 incidents of hate crimes reported by police departments, up from […]
Posted inThe Download
Rollins reforms loom over Suffolk DA race
RACHAEL ROLLINS’S name won’t be on the ballot this year, but her approach to prosecution in Suffolk County may end up being front and center. Rollins – both by personality and policy – shook up the prosecutorial landscape in the state with her 2018 election as Suffolk County district attorney. The blunt-talking reformer held little […]