Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is well-known for lobster, the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. The state falls in the First Federal Circuit Court System. More than 80% of the New England residents live in the greater-Boston metro, making it the most populous and a highly influential city in the state’s history, industry, and academia. Both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are in the Boston area and are ranked as two of the top universities nationally and worldwide.

The government of Massachusetts is laid out in the Constitution of the Commonwealth.  The state government, like the federal government, consists of three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is controlled by the governor and consists of over 150 state agencies. The governor also has a cabinet consisting of ten secretaries.  The legislative branch consists of the General Court, broken into two branches the Massachusetts Senate, which has 40 members, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives with has 160 members, and all members in both houses are up for election every two years.  Although a few remain, most county governments were dissolved in the 1990s and 2000s.

The judiciary of Massachusetts consists of the court of last resort, the Superior Court which is the court of last resort.  The Massachusetts District Court, also known as the District Court Department of the Trial Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases.  The Land Court has limited subject-matter jurisdiction related to real property. Massachusetts also has a Housing Court, Probate and Family Court, Juvenile Court and Boston’s Municipal Court.

Massachusetts is also known for its liberal legislation. On May 17, 2004 it became the first US state to legalize Same-sex marriage, after a state court determined that exclusion of same-sex couples right to a civil marriage was unconstitutional. On November 8, 2016, the state also legalized marijuana under the Marijuana Legalization Initiative.  Massachusetts has progressive laws related to employment and has passed an Equal Pay Ordinance and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and legal analysis of both pieces of legislation are available on the National Law Review.

Custom text Title Organization
Mar
27
2024
Boston's Squares + Streets Zoning Initiative Advances Goulston & Storrs
Mar
26
2024
Recent Bankruptcy Court Decision Leaves the Door Open to Bankruptcy Relief for Those in the Cannabis Industry Mintz
Mar
25
2024
States with Pending Legislation to Ban Employee Noncompetes: Maine Poised to be Next State to Enact a Ban Foley & Lardner LLP
Mar
25
2024
Pardon? Massachusetts Cannabis Offenders Given New Hope Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Mar
12
2024
Mass. SJC Adopts “Totality of the Circumstances” Test to Determine Whether Municipal Land is Held for a Specific Purpose Pierce Atwood LLP
Mar
4
2024
Massachusetts Superior Court Finds Incentive Payment Under Profit-Sharing Scheme Is Not a Commission Under Wage Act Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Feb
29
2024
A $1 Billion, 10-year Climate Tech Investment Effort to Come in Massachusetts Mintz
Feb
27
2024
A Percent-of-Profit Incentive Payment is Not “Wages” Under the Massachusetts Wage Act ArentFox Schiff LLP
Feb
26
2024
Groundtruth: Cumulative Impact Analysis - Massachusetts, EPA, and Beyond [Podcast] Beveridge & Diamond PC
Feb
26
2024
It's a Gas! Federal and State Developments Continue to Light Up the Natural Gas Debate K&L Gates
Feb
22
2024
Federal and State Lawmakers Launch AI Task Forces — AI: The Washington Report Mintz
Feb
20
2024
Profit-Sharing Arrangement Tied to Employer’s Overall Profits Not Subject to Massachusetts Wage Act Mintz
Feb
12
2024
Massachusetts Employers May Need to Update Their PFML Policies in 2024 Foley & Lardner LLP
Feb
6
2024
Wage War: Massachusetts Trial Court Rejects Globe Ex-President’s Profit-Sharing Claim Disguised as Wage Act Violation Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Feb
2
2024
Home Health Care Owner Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme ArentFox Schiff LLP
Feb
1
2024
The Budget Saves Brandeis: An Update on COVID-19 Tuition Litigation Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
23
2024
Avoiding Application of the Massachusetts Wage Act to Out-of-State Employees ArentFox Schiff LLP
Jan
17
2024
Massachusetts Updates Paid Family and Medical Leave Poster, Notice, Contribution and Benefit Amounts Jackson Lewis P.C.
Jan
16
2024
Take Note: Significant 2024 Gift/Estate Tax Exemption Inflation Increases Blank Rome LLP
Jan
9
2024
Boston Adds Updated Inclusionary Development Policy to the Zoning Code—What Questions Remain? Goulston & Storrs
Jan
4
2024
Construction Contractors and Certified Payroll Reports Under Massachusetts Prevailing Wage Law Jackson Lewis P.C.
Jan
4
2024
Three Point Shot - Winter 2024 Proskauer Rose LLP
Jan
4
2024
MassDEP Proposes Changes to Chapter 91 Regulations Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
2
2024
Are The Harvard Corporation Members Answerable Only To G-D? Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP
Dec
21
2023
“Frustration of Purpose" Defense Still Frustrating for Commercial Tenants Goulston & Storrs
Dec
21
2023
Standing to Bring Zoning Appeals Goulston & Storrs
Dec
21
2023
Expert Testimony Nice-to-Have, Not Must-Have in Insurance Claims Goulston & Storrs
Dec
21
2023
Liquidated Damages Clauses Enforceable in Commercial Leases Goulston & Storrs
Dec
19
2023
Massachusetts DPU Completes Investigation into Future Role of Commonwealth’s Gas Distribution Companies Pierce Atwood LLP
Dec
19
2023
If Harvard Is A Corporation, Does Its Board Owe Fiduciary Duties? Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP
Dec
18
2023
The Investment Tax Credit for Offshore Wind Projects: A Second Look at the Proposed Regulations under Section 48 Bracewell LLP
Dec
1
2023
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Program: December 2023 End-of-Year Update Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Dec
1
2023
Warning - Transaction Delays Expected. State Notice Requirements Ahead for Health Care M&A! Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Nov
22
2023
Long-Awaited Tax Package Provides Some Relief from Archaic Massachusetts Estate Tax Laws Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
15
2023
Massachusetts Wagers Big on Privacy in Sports Betting Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Nov
13
2023
Stay Tuned: Massachusetts Legislature Poised to Enact Pay Transparency Requirements Proskauer Rose LLP
Nov
7
2023
Massachusetts: Proceed With Caution - New Vaccination Criteria for Hospitals and Other Licensed Health Facilities Foley & Lardner LLP
Nov
6
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert November 6, 2023 (For the week ending November 5, 2023) Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
6
2023
CMS’ Making Care Primary (MCP) Model: Applications Due November 30, 2023 Foley & Lardner LLP
Nov
1
2023
Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - November 2023 Goulston & Storrs
Nov
1
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert November 1, 2023 (For the week ending October 29, 2023) Pierce Atwood LLP
Oct
31
2023
Significant Changes to Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Coming on November 1, 2023 ArentFox Schiff LLP
Oct
31
2023
Massachusetts Department of Paid Family and Medical Leave Revises Guidance on Topping Off Benefits With Accrued Paid Leave Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Oct
30
2023
Pay Transparency Law on the Horizon for Massachusetts Employers Mintz
Oct
27
2023
The Pay State: Massachusetts Set to Join Hawaii, Illinois in Adopting Pay Transparency Requirements this Year Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Oct
25
2023
Even If Money Were No Object, Spending Alone Isn't Going to Protect Us Against Our GHG Supercharged Climate Mintz
Oct
24
2023
Amended Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Allows ‘Topping Off’ Benefits With Accrued Sick, Vacation Pay Jackson Lewis P.C.
Oct
23
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert October 23, 2023 (For the week ending October 22, 2023) Pierce Atwood LLP
Oct
20
2023
Dirty Steel-Toe Boots, Episode 20: Marijuana in the Workplace [Podcast] Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Oct
19
2023
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Updates – What Employers Need to Know Mintz
 

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