Law
No Shark Fin Soup For You
Governor Deval Patrick is sinking his teeth into a new law that will put an end to the possession and sale of shark fins in Massachusetts. […]
Why Boston Allows Uber But Opposes Haystack
The City of Boston has come out strongly against Haystack, a newly launching phone app that lets users pay to reserve another user’s public parking […]
Direct Wine Shipping No Longer Bottled Up in the Bay State
Cheers, Governor Deval Patrick. That’s what wine lovers are saying about the latest developments in the long battle to allow connoisseurs to order crates of […]
Rally Planned In Response to Supreme Court’s Buffer Zone Ruling
Megan Amundson has heard about pockets of protests around Massachusetts, where grassroots women’s rights activists have blasted the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the unconstitutionality […]
Good Thing They Changed the State’s ‘Upskirting’ Laws
A Norwood man was taken into custody in what transit officials said is the first “upskirting” arrest since legislators made an emergency effort to push through […]
A Boston Entrepreneur’s Lesson in Checking Your Phone Bill
The Federal Trade Commission announced that the operators of a text messaging scheme run by Babson College graduates agreed to surrender more than $10 million in […]
What’s to Come for Juvenile Murderers Seeking Parole?
Seven months after the highest court in Massachusetts ruled that it was cruel and unusual to keep murderers convicted as juveniles behind bars for the rest […]
Massachusetts Schools Can Say ‘Under God,’ Court Rules
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance doesn’t discriminate against atheists or violate the state Constitution. […]
Damn the Press, But Keep It Free
In the United States, editorial decisions are supposed to be made in the newsroom, not in the courtroom. That’s why the First Amendment is there—and it should protect good journalism as well as bad. But three recent libel cases in Massachusetts are chipping away at that notion.
A Judge Ruled the State Can’t Ban Prescription Drug Zohydro
After a brief battle in court this week, a federal judge ruled Tuesday that state officials don’t have the legal muscle to stop doctors from […]
Gun Group Wants to Give Domestic Abuse Victims Free Access to Weapons Permits
As legislators get ready to discuss a new domestic violence bill, spurred by the tragic murder of a Waltham woman last summer, gun advocates are […]
Makers of Zohydro File Lawsuit to Lift the State’s Ban on the Prescription Painkiller
A California-based pharmaceutical company filed a complaint in United States District Court in Boston this week, calling for a judge to put a stop to […]
Saudi Man Investigated After Marathon Bombings Sues Glenn Beck for Defamation, Slander
A Boston man searched by authorities in the days following the Marathon bombings is suing a national media outlet and radio personality for defamation and […]
Beacon Hill Officials Pass Legislation to Make Secret ‘Upskirt’ Photos Illegal
Update: It’s official—”upskirting” in Massachusetts is now illegal. Governor Deval Patrick today signed “An Act Relative to Unlawful Sexual Surveillance,” which updates the state’s existing […]
State’s Highest Court Says Taking ‘Upskirt’ Photos on the MBTA Is Within the Law
The “Peeping Tom” laws in Massachusetts only apply when people being photographed unknowingly are either nude or partially nude in places like dressing rooms, and […]