BOSTON, Mass. (Oct. 21, 2017) – Last week, a Massachusetts joint legislative committee held a hearing on three bills that would take a first step toward limiting the impact of federal programs that militarize local police. Rep. Denise Provost (D-Middlesex) introduced House Bill 2503 (H.2503) earlier this year. Sen. Michael Barrett (D-Third Middlesex) sponsors a Senate version…
BOSTON, Mass. (Aug. 7, 2017) – Last month, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that court officers in the state do not have the authority to detain individuals solely based on requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The ruling sets the stage for widespread non-cooperation with federal immigration detainers in Massachusetts. The court…
BOSTON, Mass. (Aug 3, 2017) – A Massachusetts cannabis bill signed by the governor last week legalizes commercial industrial hemp production in the state, but its effect will depend on how state departments ultimately write and enforce the rules. Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure to legalize marijuana and hemp in 2016, but the state…
BOSTON, Mass. (July 28, 2017) – After weeks of wrangling, the Massachusetts legislature finally passed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in the state last week. When fully implemented, legalization will take another big step toward nullifying the unconstitutional federal prohibition of cannabis in effect. Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in 2016, but the…
BOSTON, Mass. (June 12, 2017) – Last week, an important Massachusetts joint committee held a hearing on three bills that would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction in most cases.The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by…
BOSTON, Mass. (June 9, 2017) – Earlier this week, a Massachusetts committee held a hearing on a bill that would generally prohibit the warrantless use of stingray devices and the collection of electronic data stored by service providers. Final passage of the bill would not only protect privacy in Massachusetts, but would also hinder at…
BOSTON, Mass. (May 30, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Massachusetts House would take a first step toward limiting he impact of federal programs that militarize local police. Rep. Denise Provost (D-Middlesex) introduced House Bill 2503 (H.2503) earlier this year. The legislation would prohibit law enforcement agencies from acquiring a long list of military…
BOSTON, Mass. (May 23, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Massachusetts Senate would limit the warrantless use of surveillance drones. The legislation would not only establish important privacy protections at the state level, it would also help thwart the federal surveillance state.Sen. Michael Moore (D-Shrewsbury), along with a bipartisan pair of cosponsors, introduced Senate…
BOSTON, Mass. (May 19, 2017) – Bills introduced in the Massachusetts House and Senate would put strict limitations on the use of automated license plate reader systems (ALPRs) by the state. Passage into law would also place significant roadblocks in the way of a federal program using states to help track the location of millions of…
BOSTON, Mass. (May 15, 2017) – Bills introduced in the Massachusetts House and Senate would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction in most cases.The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by passing cases off to the…