A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that people have the right to surreptitiously record police officers at work in "public spaces" such as parks, agreeing with two local activists that the First Amendment takes precedence over a state law banning private recording in that circumstance. Read more.
WBUR reports Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins has hired an outside law firm to look into allegations against former assistant DA Adam Foss by writer Raegan Sealy in an explicit account earlier this week. Read more.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office announced today it's seeking court orders to vacate some 108 drug convictions that involved evidence certified as illegal drugs by Annie Dookhan, a chemist at the state labs in Jamaica Plain convicted in 2013 of just making stuff up. Read more.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins last night released a list of 135 Boston, State, Chelsea and MBTA police officers and one IRS agent who have been accused of crimes or misconduct that might possibly affect the evidence or testimony they supplied for criminal cases. Read more.
CommonWealth Magazine reports DA Rachael Rollins wants a tenfold bail increase for a man charged with two armed robberies at the South Bay Mall.
The Supreme Judicial Court yesterday told the district attorneys from the Cape and Islands and Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties that no, they cannot intervene in a Suffolk County murder case that has nothing to do with their rural and suburban communities, even if it could ultimately lead to a decision that they don't like. Read more.
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association yesterday charged Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins called all police officers murderers in her comments after Sunday night's rampages. Rollins shot back that the union statement is proof of white fragility. Read more.
At a City Hall press conference today Mayor Walsh and Police Commissioner William Gross vowed not to let rioters repeat last night's performance in Boston and to keep Boston a safe haven for people to protest in. Read more.
For the second time this month, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office has asked the Supreme Judicial Court to keep a man awaiting trial on a violent crime locked up rather than releasing him to home confinement due to coronavirus concerns - concerns the DA's office says is now moot because he's already tested positive for the virus. Read more.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office has asked a Supreme Judicial court judge to return William Utley to jail while he awaits trial - originally set to begin yesterday - on charges he stabbed Andew Young to death during an argument outside a Grove Hall bar in 2018. Read more.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins' office announced this morning:
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office announced several steps this evening to try to curb the spread of Covid-19, including: Read more.
CommonWealth reports that Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is calling on the legislature to approve a pilot program in which health providers could create a center where people with a drug addiction could shoot up - while under medical supervision and where they would receive referrals to treatment programs. Read more.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins has asked a Supreme Judicial Court justice to make a Boston Municipal Court judge accept her office's decision not to prosecute several people arrested during and after Saturday's march of the bigots. Read more.
A federal judge today sided with two Massachusetts district attorneys and the state's public defenders and barred ICE from detaining people with business in Massachusetts courts while a lawsuit over the issue proceeds. Read more.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan joined today with public defenders to file a federal lawsuit that seeks to keep ICE agents out of state courthouses - such as Newton District Court, where a judge now faces federal criminal charges for trying to protect a man from an ICE agent waiting in the court lobby. Read more.
When it comes to criticism from Beacon Hill of her decision to generally not prosecute people arrested for 15 low-level crimes, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is having none of it, and she's looking at you and your son, Mr. Baker: Read more.
The ACLU of Massachusetts now has a data person on staff, who's begun analyzing lots of data related to criminal justice, and one of his first looks is at "Declining to prosecute" cases for Suffolk County - the sort of thing that new DA Rachael Rollins said she would step up for certain types of low-level crimes: Read more.
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
