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Massachusetts high court rules individuals under age 21 cannot be sentenced to life without parole

JURIST

The highest court in Massachusetts ruled on Thursday that individuals under the age of 21 cannot be sentenced to life without parole, becoming the first state to do so. In their decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court concluded that “emerging adults, who are 18, 19, or 20, are not fully mature.”

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Massachusetts court rules ExxonMobil cannot use anti-SLAPP law to dodge climate lawsuit

JURIST

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) Monday denied ExxonMobil Corp.’s The Office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey released a statement following the SJC’s decision affirming the rejection of ExxonMobil’s “ anti-SLAPP ” motion to dismiss by the Suffolk Superior Court.

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“Massachusetts judge can be prosecuted for blocking immigration arrest, court rules”

HowAppealing

Massachusetts judge can be prosecuted for blocking immigration arrest, court rules”: Nate Raymond of Reuters has this report on a ruling that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued today.

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Top Massachusetts court rules potential jurors can’t be removed based on sexual orientation

ABA Journal

Lawyers can’t exclude potential jurors during voir dire based on sexual orientation, the top court in Massachusetts ruled on Monday. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial…

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MA high court rules Harvard can retain racist slave photos but must face lawsuit from subject’s descendant

JURIST

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Thursday ruled that Harvard University does not need to relinquish slave photos taken for a Harvard professor’s racist 1850 study to the photo subjects’ descendant, Tamara Lanier.

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Failure to euthanize suffering dog isn’t animal cruelty, appeals court rules

ABA Journal

An animal cruelty law does not reach a dog owner who ignored a veterinarian’s recommendation to euthanize her suffering, terminally ill dog, the Massachusetts Appeals…

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The 7 Biggest Mass. Top Court Rulings Of 2023

Law 360

During a busy 2023, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a strict fiduciary rule for Robinhood in a landmark decision, said a handshake can't save a $19 million Wynn Resorts land deal, and affirmed the right to be a total jerk at public meetings.