Massachusetts

In wake of crime lab scandal, ACLU asks top state court for dismissal of 40,000 cases

Instead of putting the burden on defendants to challenge convictions in over 40,000 Massachusetts criminal cases linked to a rogue chemist who falsified results while working at a state evidence laboratory, all of the cases should be dismissed, a civil rights group says. More than two years after the faked…

Jan 9, 2014 10:40 PM CST

Boston Bar opposes federal death penalty, cites ‘inevitability of error’

The Boston Bar Association has taken a stand against capital punishment at the federal level as prosecutors consider whether to seek the death penalty against the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The Boston bar announced its position on Tuesday in a press release, saying the stance is based on…

Jan 8, 2014 2:23 PM CST

Former ABA and Bingham leader with a ‘life-affirming bounce’ dies at 80

John J. “Jack” Curtin Jr., a longtime leader of the law firm now known as Bingham McCutchen, died last week in a senior living community in the Boston area. He was 80 years old. In addition to making a name for himself in corporate practice, Curtin was a former president…

Dec 2, 2013 10:14 PM CST

Former Mass. chemist gets 3 to 5 years as probe of state crime-lab issues continues

A former chemist for a Massachusetts drug laboratory who faked test results in order to appear more productive pleaded guilty Friday to 27 counts, including obstruction of justice and evidence-tampering, and was sentenced to a three-to-five-year prison term. The sentence imposed on Annie Dookhan was above the standard maximum term,…

Nov 22, 2013 11:10 PM CST

Lawyer charged with using attorney credential in attempt to deliver drug to courthouse lockup

A Massachusetts lawyer has been criminally charged, accused of using his attorney credential to gain access to the Chelsea District Courthouse lockup without a search in order to attempt to deliver a prescription drug to a woman being held in the building’s lockup. Michael R. Lustig, 45, is listed on…

Nov 14, 2013 7:00 PM CST

‘Up-skirt’ photos aren’t banned by Peeping Tom law, lawyer argues

A lawyer for a Massachusetts man accused of taking “up-skirt” photos on the Boston subway argued on Monday that a Peeping Tom law doesn’t ban her client’s actions. Lawyer Michelle Menkin told the state’s top court that the law only applies to settings where there is an expectation of privacy…

Nov 7, 2013 12:15 PM CST

New alimony law in Massachusetts isn’t ‘hoped-for panacea’

Massachusetts’ new alimony law, enacted last year, was held up as a model as reform. But the law “hasn’t been the hoped-for panacea,” the Boston Globe reports. Some complain that judges are misinterpreting or even ignoring the law, which was passed to encourage spouses to rebuild their lives and take…

Oct 25, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

Did Ropes & Gray retaliate by giving info to Above the Law about ex-associate’s discrimination case?

A discrimination case brought by a former associate against Ropes & Gray is headed to trial next month. Among the questions to be answered by a federal court in Boston, the National Law Journal reports: Did the law firm retaliate against John Ray III by providing information about his Equal…

Oct 16, 2013 9:05 PM CDT

School’s zero-tolerance policy zaps honor student who gave drunk friend a ride home; her family sues

Erin Cox thought she was doing the right thing by picking up a high school friend who called for a ride because she was too drunk to drive home from a party in suburban Boston. But almost immediately after Cox arrived and waded into the fray to find her friend,…

Oct 15, 2013 3:50 PM CDT

Associate of ex-NFL player Aaron Hernandez indicted in shooting death

An associate of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been indicted as an accessory after the fact in the alleged murder with which Hernandez has been charged. Carlos Ortiz, 27, of Bristol, Conn., was indicted Friday by a Massachusetts grand jury in connection with the June 17…

Sep 27, 2013 8:45 PM CDT

First openly gay federal appeals judge confirmed; Obama names 3 nominees for district, circuit bench

September has been a noteworthy month as far as the federal judiciary is concerned. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Tuesday, in a 98-0 vote, former Department of Justice lawyer Todd Hughes for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is the highest-ranking openly gay…

Sep 24, 2013 9:55 PM CDT

Insurer sues own lawyer for $43M in Big Dig coverage case, says competing carrier was a client, too

Edwards Wildman Palmer is facing a New York malpractice claim from an insurance company the law firm represented in a Boston coverage matter. At issue in the underlying case was a fatal 2006 accident in which some 26 tons of ceiling tile from the so-called Big Dig highway tunnel project…

Sep 17, 2013 6:39 PM CDT

‘Under God’ in Pledge violates Massachusetts Constitution, lawyer argues in state’s top court

The phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is being challenged in Massachusetts’ top court. A lawyer representing an atheist family in suburban Boston argued on Wednesday that the phrase violates the equal rights amendment in the Massachusetts Constitution, report the Religion News Service, NBC News and the Boston…

Sep 5, 2013 12:00 PM CDT

State bar examiners change rules after dustup over religious headwear

The Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners announced last week that bar takers will be allowed to wear religious or medical necessity headwear without prior written approval. The policy change comes in response to a miscommunication with a young Muslim woman who was asked to remove her religious headgear by a…

Aug 23, 2013 8:28 PM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT