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If you have a court date for a criminal charge in Massachusetts, the first formal appearance is usually called an arraignment. In plain English, that is the court date where the case formally begins: the charges are stated on the record, you get coun…

CIVIL INFRACTION: A civil infraction is a minor violation. Many traffic violations are civil infractions, such as speeding and running a red light. The punishment for a civil infraction is usually a fine. The fine may be a modest amount of money, but…

Nearly fifty years after the Supreme Court decided Miranda v. Arizona, almost every American can recite some version of the warning...

Many criminal cases are won or lost before trial, on one question: did the police have the right to stop, search, or seize what they found? If they did not, the evidence can be thrown out. In a drug, gun, or OUI case, losing that evidence often means…

In December 2015, the Supreme Judicial Court announced a new standard of proof for classification of sex offenders. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 6, Section 178D creates a Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB). The purpose of SORB is to register an…

If you have just been charged with a crime, you have probably heard that the prosecution must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. That phrase is the most important protection you have in a criminal case, and it is widely misunderstood. It does…

Bail is money paid to the court (or a promise to appear) that allows a person charged with a crime to be released from custody while their case is pending...

For decades, a Massachusetts drug conviction could cost you your driver’s license even when the case had nothing to do with a car. In 2016 the Legislature ended most of those automatic suspensions. That reform mattered for people who needed to get…