Commentary by MACDL Board president, Victoria Kelleher, posted on the WBUR website.
Last week, several men and women with preexisting health concerns were released from pretrial custody — some to home confinement, some with GPS monitoring — by agreement with the Suffolk County prosecutor. Each represented one less person imprisoned without due process; one less person to get infected with the coronavirus behind bars.
Since […]
Before any of us heard of COVID-19, MACDL had dedicated itself to pursuing constitutionally mandated rate increases–first in Carasquillo v. Hampden County, and then in lobbying efforts. These increases are: $85 for District Court, $125 for Superior Court, and $148 for Murder Panel. These are not fantasy figures. Consider that of those states that pay bar advocates hourly rates, only Oregon and Wisconsin pay less for misdemeanors than Massachusetts […]
On Friday, February 28, Judge Cannone granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by MACDL and CPCS against the Massachusetts Department of Condition, regarding conditions at the Souza Baranowski prison. The ruling will allow prisoners to keep legal paperwork in their cells, have sufficient time during business hours to make attorney phone calls, and have in-person visits with their lawyers.
On February 19, 2020, MACDL, the New England Innocence Project, Lawyers for Civil Rights, and the Houston Institute filed an amicus brief in Commonwealth v. Long, currently pending before the Supreme Judicial Court. The brief asks the court to chart a new path in order to effectively address the problem of racially discriminatory pretextual stops.
As the brief argues, “[o]verwhelming empirical evidence of pervasive racial disparities in traffic enforcement mandates […]
MACDL today, October 17, 2019 MACDL today, October 17, 2019, joined with Hampden Lawyers for Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (“ACLUM”) and a team of lawyers from the law firm Morgan Lewis serving as pro bono counsel to file an amicus brief in Carrasquillo v. Hampden County District Court, an appeal pending before the SJC and scheduled to be argued in November.
In […]
MACDL President Victoria Kelleher testified on October 8, 2019 on behalf of MACDL before the Legislative Committee in support of H3358/S826, An Act to Reduce Mass Incarceration, which would permit a parole hearing for prisoners serving life in prison after 25 years. Her testimony focused on (1) the negligible difference between first degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without the […]
THANKS TO ALL THOSE NAMED on the slate and all who voted. We welcome Aviva Jeruchim, Mona Igram and John Swomley as the newest members of the Board. They each bring a multitude of talents, strong opinions, and a collegial spirit, and will be a terrific asset to the organization and our members. Current board members Luke Ryan, Ed Masferrer and Shira Diner were all re-elected. We recognize Marty Rosenthal’s contributions […]
MACDL, the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Committee for Public Counsel Services have submitted a brief on cutting-edge Fourth Amendment issues in Commonwealth v. McCarthy, SJC-12750. The brief attacks the rapidly expanding and largely unfettered use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) by law enforcement in the Commonwealth and across the country. In the absence of ANY legislation regulating the use of ALPRs […]
BOSTON, September 9, 2019 – The ACLU and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) are urging the Supreme Judicial Court to dismiss a charge against a demonstrator arrested at the “Straight Pride Parade.” The ACLU of Massachusetts and MACDL today submitted a “friend-of-the-court” brief in support of the Commonwealth’s attempt to end this case.
Thirty-six people were arrested by Boston police during the “Straight Pride Parade” and counter-protests on […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Victoria Kelleher
978-744-4126 | victoriouscause@gmail.com
MACDL Calls for Immediate Investigation of BMC Judge Richard Sinnott
Boston Municipal Court Judge Richard Sinnott’s decision to place a lawyer in handcuffs and detain her for several hours for “interrupting” him is a gross abuse of power that requires judicial disciplinary action.
Susan Church, a prominent lawyer who was awarded the Pro Bono Publico award by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2017, appeared pro […]