Hate crime convictions upheld where race need not be sole or primary motivation. Jury properly instructed under Massachusetts assault statute that racial animus must be present but may coexist with other motives.
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State excise tax on satellite video programming services upheld against dormant commerce clause challenge; businesses not similarly situated.
DNA evidence linked defendant to victim's death decades later. Supreme Judicial Court affirmed conviction despite exclusion of third-party culprit evidence and prosecutor's improper closing argument.
Juvenile arrested with thirteen small bags of marijuana. Court affirmed dismissal, holding no probable cause to believe intent to distribute rather than personal use.
Convictions vacated where trial judge failed to inquire into credible information that juror slept through victim testimony despite prompt judicial intervention requirement.
Murder conviction vacated where DNA testing excluded defendants and victim as source of bloody towels that corroborated key witness with severe credibility issues.
Double jeopardy does not bar retrial where the jury's initial verdicts were too ambiguous to establish a clear acquittal on premeditation theory.
Parent has constitutional right to appointed counsel in guardianship proceeding where another party seeks to displace parental rights and assume primary caretaker responsibilities.
Attorney suspended in Maine for mental health and substance abuse conditions may be reciprocally transferred to disability inactive status in Massachusetts without a separate hearing.
