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Articles Tagged with criminaldefense

pexels-rodnae-productions-6069522-scaledMassachusetts has a fraught history with clemency and has strongly disfavored this post-conviction remedy for decades. Last year, however, there was a slight uptick in the number of clemency grants: Governor Charles Baker approved 3 commutations for Thomas Koonce, William Allen, and Ramadan Shabazz and 10 pardons 

 Article 73 of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth vests clemency power in the governor. There are two forms of clemency: commutation and pardon. A commutation is a reduction in sentence, which means the convicted individual faces a shorter period of incarceration than originally mandated. A pardon forgives the underlying offense, which means the individual’s conviction is erased. Although clemency power technically vests in the governor, there are multiple entities involved in the decision-making process.  CONTINUE READING ›

Man in yellow shirt being patted down by police officerThe use of “patfrisk” or “stop-and-frisk” techniques by police is a serious—and, in some communities, alarmingly frequent—intrusion on personal liberty and dignity. In Commonwealth v. Karen K., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) considered the case of a sixteen-year-old African-American girl stopped and patfrisked by Boston police, who discovered a loaded firearm in the waistband of her pants. The case provided an opportunity for the Commonwealth’s highest court to revisit some of the same highly charged questions of constitutional law at play in their controversial and fractured 2021 decision in Commonwealth v. Sweeting-Bailey, which we previously discussed on this blog. 

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Collegepexels-photo-532001s and universities are starting their fall semesters, and orientation for incoming freshmen is well underway at many schools. One area that is not likely to be covered in orientation is students’ rights in encounters with police. While most students go through their entire college career without interacting with police, if you do, you should know what rights you have. This blog will discuss those rights in the context that is the most likely one where students might interact with police (sexual misconduct matters), but the rights you have apply to any interactions, on or off campus. You should know those rights. Just as important, you should know the limits of those rights.   CONTINUE READING ›

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