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
Feb
18
2023
New 2023 Legislative Proposals Could Reshape the Biometric Privacy Landscape Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP
Feb
16
2023
Boston Initiatives Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goulston & Storrs
Feb
16
2023
Massachusetts Courts Clarify Standard for Spoliation of Evidence Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Feb
14
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert: February 14, 2023 Pierce Atwood LLP
Feb
12
2023
Man Sentenced for Scheme Involving U.S.-Funded Military Contracts The U.S. Department of Justice
Feb
8
2023
Gaming Operators Latest to See Specific Privacy & Cybersecurity Laws Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Feb
7
2023
Finally, Judicial Guidance Interpreting the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act Mintz
Feb
6
2023
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act Update Foley & Lardner LLP
Feb
6
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert February 6, 2023 Pierce Atwood LLP
Feb
1
2023
Sports Betting Launches in Massachusetts Just in Time for the Superbowl and March Madness Nelson Mullins
Feb
1
2023
Final Regulations Issued by Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave – Health Maintenance During Leave Mintz
Jan
31
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert January 30 2023 Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
25
2023
This NIMBY Lawsuit Is Doomed but That Doesn't Mean that It Won't Cause Considerable Harm Before It Dies Mintz
Jan
23
2023
2023 Federal and State Estate and Gift Tax Summary Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
23
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert: January 23, 2023 Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
19
2023
Mass. SJC: $3.5 Million Payday for Torrent of Errant Golf Balls Not a Fore-Gone Conclusion Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
18
2023
Massachusetts Court Clarifies Recently Enacted Bond Provision in Zoning and Comprehensive Permit Appeals Beveridge & Diamond PC
Jan
18
2023
Massachusetts Land Court Indicates That Consistency is Key in Applying Zoning Requirements to Solar Projects Beveridge & Diamond PC
Jan
17
2023
Chapter 93A Litigation Newsletter | 4th Quarter 2022 Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jan
17
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert: January 17, 2023 (For the week ending January 15, 2023) Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
12
2023
MassDEP Releases Proposed Cumulative Impact Analysis Regulations for Air Permits Beveridge & Diamond PC
Jan
10
2023
And Environmental Justice for All? Mass. High Court Clarifies Application of EJ Policy Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
10
2023
There once was a coastal resiliency project on Nantucket . . . A cautionary tale. Mintz
Jan
9
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert January 9, 2023 Pierce Atwood LLP
Jan
4
2023
Remote Work Arrangements Pose Travel-Related Reimbursement Challenges for Massachusetts Employers Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Jan
3
2023
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert - January 3, 2023 Pierce Atwood LLP
Dec
27
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert: December 27, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Dec
23
2022
Massachusetts Is Ringing in the New Year with PFML Updates Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Dec
23
2022
Land Court Lacks Jurisdiction over Administrative Licensing Related to Zoning Appeal Beveridge & Diamond PC
Dec
21
2022
Mass. High Court Clarifies Scope of New Zoning Act Bond Provision Pierce Atwood LLP
Dec
20
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert December 20, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Dec
14
2022
Massachusetts Unveils New Workplace Poster, Notifications for Employers Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Dec
13
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert December 13, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Dec
5
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert: December 5, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
28
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert: November 28, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
23
2022
Class Action Filed Against Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Alleged COVID-19 Contact-Tracing Spyware Installation Robinson & Cole LLP
Nov
22
2022
Health Care Workforce Shortages Persist in Massachusetts and the United States Mintz
Nov
21
2022
Taxachusetts Redux? The New Massachusetts Millionaires Tax Goulston & Storrs
Nov
21
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert - November 21, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
21
2022
Fantasy Sports Operators Subject to New Massachusetts Tax Nelson Mullins
Nov
16
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert November 16, 2022 (For the week ending November 13, 2022) Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
16
2022
Law of the Land - Real Estate Litigation Newsletter (November 16, 2022) Goulston & Storrs
Nov
16
2022
District of Massachusetts Dismisses Data Breach Class Action for Lack of Injury Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
11
2022
You Never Give Me Your Money: Voters Approve Tax Hikes in Massachusetts and Colorado on Election Day ArentFox Schiff LLP
Nov
11
2022
Harassing EPA in the Courts isn't in our interests even when an NGO like CLF or the CRWA is the Plaintiff Mintz
Nov
7
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert - November 7, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Nov
1
2022
2022 Labor and Employment Tri-State Legislative Update: CT, MA, and RI Robinson & Cole LLP
Nov
1
2022
EPA Region 1 Expands NPDES Stormwater Permitting Requirement to Sites Across Three Massachusetts Watersheds Beveridge & Diamond PC
Oct
31
2022
Weekly Bankruptcy Alert, October 31, 2022 Pierce Atwood LLP
Oct
28
2022
Historic Franklin Park is about to get the attention it deserves and has been denied for generations Mintz
 

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