Supreme Judicial Court

A Connecticut woman who says she’s descended from enslaved people portrayed in widely-published, historical photos owned by Harvard can sue the Ivy League university for emotional distress, Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Thursday. The state’s Supreme Judicial Court partly vacated a lower court ruling that dismissed a complaint from Tamara Lanier over photos she says depict her enslaved ancestors. The...

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has tossed the ballot question involving the status and benefits for app-based drivers off the November ballot, upending an expensive campaign with a ruling that the question contains “at least two substantively distinct policy decisions.” Writing for the court, Justice Scott Kafker said that most parts of the proposed ballot question (there are technically two…

The actions of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission almost a decade ago could be put under a new microscope after the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday that a lower court should look more closely at the “highly unusual character of the commission’s actions” related to the award of a casino license to Wynn Resorts and the casino company’s purchase of...

The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday against hearing an appeal of a decision that found Gov. Charlie Baker did not overstep his authority with sweeping orders to close businesses and limit gatherings to control the coronavirus early in the pandemic. The nation’s highest court announced without comment Monday that it would not consider the appeal. The lawsuit argued that...

In the days since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to replace her — which consolidated a conservative majority on the bench — the push to expand abortion access in Massachusetts has gained traction on Beacon Hill.

Seeking solace as she sat in the airport parking lot of a strange city, Tara Mendola tried to reach her rabbi before her procedure, to no avail.  Though Mendola lives in Massachusetts, home to some of the best hospitals in the world, she was forced to travel to Denver, Colorado, for abortion care after receiving a fatal fetal diagnosis....

Dr. Anthony Fauci, member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said Thursday that even though a vaccine was imminent, Americans needed to double down on public health measures. “We’re not talking about shutting down the country,” he said. “We’re not talking about shutting down. We’re talking about intensifying the simple public health measures that we all talk about, mask...

Gov. Charlie Baker nominated Serge Georges Jr. as a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday nominated Serge Georges Jr. as a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court at a news conference where he also touched on the coronavirus pandemic. Georges currently serves as an associate justice on the Boston Municipal Court sitting in the Dorchester Division, a position he was nominated to by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2013. From…

Massachusetts has delayed the resumption of jury trials until early next month. The earliest potential start date for jury trials will be extended to Nov. 9, Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey said in a statement last week. The delay comes amid a rising number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the state. The Supreme Judicial Court had authorized the…

House and Senate leaders on Beacon Hill chose not to intervene Thursday to block the expiration this weekend of Massachusetts’ moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, despite the efforts of one Democrat to force an emergency extension of the ban through the end of the year. Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday put forward an eviction diversion plan that allows the moratorium…

A week before Massachusetts’ temporary eviction ban is scheduled to end, the Baker administration announced a $171 million plan to support renters and tenants.

The highest court in Massachusetts has reduced the first-degree murder conviction of a man found guilty of killing an Army veteran during a fight in Boston’s Theater District in 2012 to second-degree murder in a decision that redefines “extreme atrocity or cruelty” in murder cases. Peter Castillo, 32, of Salem, was convicted in 2016 of shooting Iraq War veteran Stephen…

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

The Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the Sept. 1 deadline for local election officials to receive mail-in primary election ballots. The court ruled Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Fourth Congressional District candidate Becky Grossman, who sought a 10-day extension of the period allocated for counting mail-in primary ballots. The 22-page decision, authored by Justice Scott Kafker, comes six days…

Massachusetts highest court is weighing whether to grant more time to count mail ballots in the state’s Sept. 1 primary election amid concerns of U.S. Postal Service delays. The state’s Supreme Judicial Court is slated to hear arguments Monday in a lawsuit filed by Becky Grossman. The Democratic candidate for Congress wants to extend the deadline for counting state...

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., questions Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a Senate hearing Friday about changes in postal operations, including limits to overtime pay and the removal of mail-sorting machines, that have caused service delays nationwide.

Sue O’Connell sat down with Massachusetts State Senator Becca Rausch, who explains the differences between mail-in voting and absentee voting, what you need to do before you vote and the deadlines for your applications and ballots.

With COVID-19 still a major concern, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a law that establishes a vote-by-mail option, expands early voting and beefs up safety at polling places.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments as to whether or not to release inmates amid the coronavirus pandemic.