Initiative petition combining curriculum standards changes and testing transparency requirements failed relatedness requirement of Article 48 because provisions lacked operational connection and presented voters with dissimilar subjects.
Verbal encouragement to commit suicide can support involuntary manslaughter indictment when defendant exercises coercive control over vulnerable victim in final moments.
Initiative petition to authorize one additional slots parlor license near horse racing tracks properly certified; not barred by local matters exclusion despite narrow specifications; not substantially identical to prior ballot measure.
Homeless defendant's trespass convictions vacated where he presented sufficient evidence of necessity defense based on exposure danger and lack of lawful shelter alternatives during winter months.
Prosecutor's closing argument improperly bolstered complainant's credibility based on willingness to testify, attributed sexual knowledge to defendant without excluding other sources, and implied uncalled corroborating witnesses.
Vehicle stop unlawful where officer testified speed was unreasonable but provided no articulable facts supporting that conclusion. Suppression order affirmed.
Murder conviction affirmed where defendant waived Miranda rights voluntarily and jailhouse recordings corroborated consciousness of guilt.
Abutter challenging zoning board decision lacks standing when claimed injury concerns private easement rights rather than land use concerns the Zoning Act protects.
Supreme Judicial Court held that amended Massachusetts Rule of Professional Conduct 3.5(c) permits attorneys to initiate postverdict contact with discharged jurors without prior court approval, effectively overruling Commonwealth v. Fidler.
Attorney's affidavit under Massachusetts law may cure a defect in a mortgage's acknowledgment by supplying omitted mortgagor names and confirming voluntary execution.
