Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

The highest court in Massachusetts has vacated the murder convictions of two men found guilty of fatally shooting a bystander in 2007 because the trial judge improperly allowed prosecutors to dismiss at least one Black person from the pool of prospective jurors. The Supreme Judicial Court’s decision Monday vacated the convictions of Antwan Carter and Daniel Pinckney, who were convicted…

The highest court in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down a state law making it illegal for people to ask for money for their own support on public roads. A decision from the Supreme Judicial Court found that the law violated free speech rights because it prohibited people from requesting money for personal support on roadways but specifically allowed the sale…

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday nominated Appeals Court Associate Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt to a seat on the Supreme Judicial Court, paving the way for her to become the first Latina to serve on the high court bench. In a press conference, Baker highlighted Wendlandt’s thoughtfulness, collegiality and judiciousness in tapping her for the seat, one of two on...

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court was scheduled to hear arguments Monday on a case out of Fall River that challenges a law that makes it illegal for people to ask for money on public roads.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments challenging a law that makes it illegal for people to ask for money on public roads Monday.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments challenging a law that makes it illegal for people to ask for money on public roads Monday. The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against Fall River in March of last year, arguing the city was aggressively enforcing the state law. They also argue the law itself is unconstitutional….

For the first time, a Black woman has been nominated to become the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday nominated Associate Justice Kimberly Budd as the next chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, paving the way for her to become the first Black woman to lead the body. In a press conference at the State House, Baker repeatedly highlighted Budd’s ability to listen to others and collaborate, saying such qualities were...

In a touching speech, Gov. Charlie Baker honors the memory of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, who died suddenly on Monday.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants has died, the associate justices of the court announced Monday. Their statement did not give any details about when or how Gants had died. “It is with deep sadness that the Associate Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court announce the death of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants. Our hearts and prayers are…

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants suffered a heart attack last week, he announced Tuesday in a statement. “I suffered a heart attack on Friday, September 4,” Gants said in the statement released by the court’s public information office. “I was admitted to the hospital where surgeons inserted 2 stents in the occluded artery, and I expect to…

Supporters of a ballot question that would let convenience stores and other food stores sell beer and wine won a key legal battle in Massachusetts’s highest court on Tuesday. The question was launched by the convenience store chain Cumberland Farms and would let local authorities issue licenses allowing food stores to sell beer and wine. Local licensing authorities would...

The Bar Examination in Massachusetts has been postponed until the very end of September, authorities said Saturday. The two-day exam, which evaluates the qualifications of prospective lawyers, was originally scheduled for the end of July. It will now be held in Boston on Wednesday, Sept. 30 and Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, the Supreme Judicial Court and the Board of Bar…

People in jail awaiting trial in Massachusetts should be released due to the coronavirus pandemic unless prosecutors can prove they pose an “unreasonable” danger to the community or flight risk, the state’s highest court said Friday. People who are being held on bail and aren’t facing certain serious offenses are entitled to a “rebuttable presumption of release,” the Supreme...

Massachusetts’ highest court has sided with a black police cadet who was refused a job after he failed a hair follicle drug test. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled 6-to-1 on Wednesday that Michael Gannon was wrongly denied employment by Boston police.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is petitioning for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to intervene after a judge declined to drop charges against counterprotesters arrested during the “straight pride” parade.

The trial began Monday for Wayne Chapman, the convicted child rapist who faces additional time behind bars after allegedly exposing himself to prison nurses in Massachusetts. Chapman, 71, has served 30 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two boys in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1977. He faces additional time behind bars after the newest accusations came to light last June.

Michelle Carter sent her suicidal boyfriend countless text messages encouraging him to follow through on his plan to take his own life until he actually did. Two years after Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a case that gripped the nation, the director of a new documentary wants viewers to decide for themselves whether her actions were criminal.

Convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman will continue to sit behind bars as he awaits trial because he is unable to pay the $25,000 bail, according to his attorney. The bail stems from new charges that include open and gross lewdness, wanton and lascivious acts and more after he allegedly exposed himself and was masturbating in the view of a prison...