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
Nov
12
2015
Auto and Appliance Shredding and Recycling Companies Settle with Mass AG over Allegations of Air, Hazardous Waste, and Mercury Management Violations Beveridge & Diamond PC
Nov
11
2015
Zofran Birth Defect Cases Consolidated in Boston, Massachusetts Stark & Stark
Nov
3
2015
Massachusetts Trial Court Finds DTI to Be a Well-Established and Reliable Tool to Identify Traumatic Brain Injury Stark & Stark
Nov
2
2015
MA Health Policy Updates – Moves to Strengthen HPC and Expand Telemedicine Mintz
Oct
25
2015
Massachusetts Appeals Court Ruling: Contractor Justified Not Paying Subcontractor That Refused To Perform Work Murtha Cullina
Oct
21
2015
States Challenge New SEC Rules on Small Public Offerings Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Sep
25
2015
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to Hold Listening Sessions under Executive Order 562 Beveridge & Diamond PC
Sep
23
2015
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Reinforces the Standard for Detailed and Complete Expert Disclosures and Clarifies the “Learned Treatise” Exception to the Hearsay Rule Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Sep
19
2015
Draft EEA Environmental Justice Policy Released in Massachusetts Beveridge & Diamond PC
Sep
18
2015
Massachusetts Joins List of States Reviewing Daily Fantasy Sports Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sep
18
2015
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Affirms Award 0f $2,250,000 plus Interest Against Insurer for Breach of Duty to Defend and Settle — on $50,000 Policy Mintz
Sep
17
2015
Legislative Roundup on Energy from the New England States Mintz
Sep
16
2015
Medicare to Permit Value-Based Insurance Design in Medicare Advantage Plans Mintz
Sep
15
2015
Layoffs and Age Discrimination: Developments in Massachusetts Law Raymond Law Group LLC
Sep
11
2015
H-1B Alternatives Series: Concurrent H-1B Employment Mintz
Sep
3
2015
Potential Changes to Long-Term Care Licensure in Massachusetts Foley & Lardner LLP
Aug
27
2015
Massachusetts Courts Say: Insurers NOT Liable for Failing to Settle, Even after Jury Verdict Raymond Law Group LLC
Aug
26
2015
Summary Judgment Ruling Not a Pretty Picture for Massachusetts Copyright Plaintiff Proskauer Rose LLP
Aug
7
2015
Massachusetts State Court Holds Employee Cannot Recover Treble Damages on Late Wage Payments Mintz
Aug
6
2015
Public Records in Massachusetts: Legislature looks to Improve Access and Top Court Clarifies Attorney-Client and Work-Product Protections Beveridge & Diamond PC
Aug
6
2015
Massachusetts Issues Guidance on Addressing 1,4 Dioxane Sites Beveridge & Diamond PC
Aug
6
2015
Massachusetts Issues Draft Interim Policy on Re-Use of Soil for Large Reclamation Projects Beveridge & Diamond PC
Aug
6
2015
Flushing Out the Safe Harbor: “General Land Area Minimum” Offers Newton No 40B Shelter Beveridge & Diamond PC
Aug
4
2015
Massachusetts Appeals Court Set to Consider Scope of Employer Liability for Employee Data Breaches Mintz
Aug
2
2015
Go Head Over Heels To Protect Trade Secrets (And Other Gymnastics Related Puns) Poyner Spruill LLP
Jul
24
2015
Pitch Season in South Boston Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jul
17
2015
Massachusetts Regulates Fertilizer Use to Reduce Nutrient Water Pollution Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jul
7
2015
Massachusetts Appeals Court Adopts Two-Prong Continuity and Profit Motive Test to Determine Whether Business Pursuits Exclusion Applies Under Homeowners’ Policy Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Jul
6
2015
Paid Parental Leave: Boston Starts Another Party Foley & Lardner LLP
Jul
6
2015
Uncertain Future for Non-Compete Agreements in Massachusetts: Legislators Seek Compromise Mintz
Jul
1
2015
An Annual Ritual: Massachusetts Noncompete Legislation Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Jun
30
2015
Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law Becomes Effective July 1, 2015 Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jun
29
2015
Massachusetts Paid Sick Leave: New Regulations Proskauer Rose LLP
Jun
26
2015
Massachusetts Issues Final Earned Sick Time Regulations— Law Becomes Effective July 1, 2015 Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Jun
26
2015
Massachusetts Federal Court: Discretionary Bonus Not “Earned” Commission Protected by Massachusetts Minimum Wage Act Jackson Lewis P.C.
Jun
26
2015
Massachusetts Court Sheds Light On Deposition Privilege Waiver Issues Proskauer Rose LLP
Jun
26
2015
Massachusetts Federal Jury Convicts Amateur Golfer for Insider Trading Katten
Jun
25
2015
Massachusetts Health Care Regulatory Review – Opportunity for Industry Comment Mintz
Jun
25
2015
Paid Sick Leave Now Required By Four States… More To Come? Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP
Jun
24
2015
Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law Takes Effect July 1st Mintz
Jun
24
2015
Get Ready for New Technology Rules in Revised Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct Sherin and Lodgen LLP
Jun
23
2015
Attorney General’s Office Issues Final Regulations on Massachusetts Sick Time Law Mintz
Jun
18
2015
Job Applicant Software Patents Not Terminated for Invalidity Proskauer Rose LLP
Jun
17
2015
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Takes Expansive View of Investment Advisor’s Liability Under Blue Sky Law in Hays v. Ellrich Mintz
Jun
10
2015
Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law Update: Safe Harbor Clarified, Form Notice Available Jackson Lewis P.C.
Jun
10
2015
Massachusetts AGO Provides Safe Harbor on New Sick Leave Law Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Jun
5
2015
States Challenge Blue Sky Preemption Under Regulation A+ Katten
Jun
5
2015
Conflicting Expert Opinions Prevent Summary Judgment - Trustees of Boston University v. Everlight Electronics Proskauer Rose LLP
Jun
4
2015
Massachusetts Supreme Court: Real Estate Brokers Not Covered by 2004 Independent Contractor Law Based On Continued Applicability of Real Estate Statute Jackson Lewis P.C.
Jun
4
2015
Massachusetts Federal Court Denies Objection to Timeliness of Class Action Settlement Notice Where Method of Dissemination Was Reasonable Mintz
 

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