Massachusetts

Federal judge offers ‘unreserved apology’ after order says his Alito criticism violated ethics rules

Senior U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor of the District of Massachusetts is offering an “unreserved apology” and a commitment to “scrupulously avoid” future transgressions after he was found to have violated the judicial code of ethics for criticizing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in an op-ed in the New York Times.

Dec 18, 2024 12:09 PM CST

Judge gave ‘reasonable impression’ she was letting immigrant evade ICE, ethics charges say

A Massachusetts judge who allegedly gave a “reasonable impression” that she was allowing an immigrant to evade federal custody was “less than fully candid” when asked about the incident, according to an ethics complaint filed Monday.

Dec 5, 2024 12:52 PM CST

Ex-fiancee must return $70K ring after failed engagement, court says

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Friday ruled that, from now on, an engagement ring must be returned to the buyer if the wedding falls through, regardless of who’s at fault.

Nov 11, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Judge accuses high-profile law firms of possible effort to ‘gum up the works’

A federal judge in Boston complained during a status conference Friday that lawyers from three high-profile law firms had filed so many motions and documents that they were failing to keep litigation just, speedy and inexpensive, as required by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Oct 22, 2024 12:49 PM CDT

‘Spoiled rotten’ beaver caught in dramatic court case over her future

Nibi, a furry female beaver taken in by wildlife rescuers, has become a household name in Boston—and now her future is set to be determined in a court case that has made national headlines and garnered the attention of the state governor.

Oct 4, 2024 8:50 AM CDT

Longtime Boston-based law firm will disband after lawyer defections

Boston-based Burns & Levinson is winding down after losing nearly half of its attorneys to other law firms this year.

Oct 1, 2024 9:15 AM CDT

Lawyer awarded $3.3M after crashing snowmobile into negligently parked Army helicopter

A federal judge in Massachusetts has awarded $3.3 million in damages to a lawyer for injuries suffered when he crashed his snowmobile into a camouflaged U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter parked on a snowmobile trail at dusk.

Sep 26, 2024 2:28 PM CDT

Switchblades are protected by Second Amendment, top Massachusetts court rules

A Massachusetts law banning the possession of switchblades violates the Second Amendment, the state’s top court ruled Tuesday.

Aug 28, 2024 10:58 AM CDT

How an understanding court clerk saved lawyer with dementia from humiliation

The signs of a retired lawyer’s decline were subtle at first. Sometimes he was at a loss for words. His “dad jokes,” delivered as a volunteer at a Veterans Affairs medical center, started sounding rehearsed. His behavior changed.

Aug 22, 2024 11:36 AM CDT

‘Magic spell hypothesis’ may explain legalese, researchers say

Researchers studying the origins of legalese say lawmakers and lawyers may write laws and legal documents in a convoluted manner to confer a “ritualistic, spell-like element” signaling authority.

Aug 20, 2024 3:12 PM CDT

1st Circuit rules against Satanic Temple in challenge to city council snub

The Boston City Council’s failure to invite the Satanic Temple to deliver an invocation before its meetings did not violate the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Aug 7, 2024 3:07 PM CDT

Lawyer once named most eligible bachelor sentenced to at least 5 years in prison for rape

A Boston lawyer who was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors was sentenced Monday to between five and 10 years in prison for raping a 21-year-old woman.

Jul 16, 2024 11:15 AM CDT

Record labels sue two startups for training AI models on their songs

The world’s biggest record labels are suing two artificial intelligence startups, taking an aggressive stance to protect their intellectual property against technology that makes it easy for people to generate music based on existing songs.

Jun 24, 2024 3:00 PM CDT

Ex-law school IT director accused of making unauthorized purchases worth $68K

A former information technology employee at New England Law in Boston was arraigned last week on larceny charges for allegedly making about $68,000 in unauthorized purchases using the law school’s Amazon account.

Jun 20, 2024 8:59 AM CDT

Public middle school can ban ‘There are only two genders’ T-shirt, 1st Circuit rules

A federal appeals court ruled Sunday that a middle school in Middleborough, Massachusetts, can prevent a student from wearing a “There are only two genders” T-shirt.

Jun 11, 2024 11:11 AM CDT