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Winning a Remote Clerk Magistrate’s Hearing via Zoom

May 4, 2021 Leave a Comment

Most Clerk Magistrate’s Hearings in Massachusetts district courts are remote now, and it works fine, both practically, and most importantly, results are usually good for defendants.

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It has impacted nearly every part of American life, and the court system is no exception. Millions of people didn’t know what Zoom remote video conference calls were a year ago but now use them regularly for work and to connect with family.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Massachusetts Marijuana Laws Under Legalization

September 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

marijuana legalized gift


On election day in 2016, Massachusetts voters passed a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in the state. Massachusetts will join Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washingon DC, and Washington State who had all previously legalized, along with California, Maine, and Nevada which just passed legalization in this election.

Massachusetts voters have historically supported marijuana laws reform efforts. Back in 2008, we voted to decriminalize possession of under 1oz in down to a civil violation and followed it up in 2012 with an initiative for allowing medical marijuana. So in spite of widespread institutional political opposition, it wasn’t a huge surprise that this passed. [Read more…]

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Mobile Augmented Reality Games and Reckless Driving

July 22, 2019 1 Comment

pokemon go trespassing

Augmented reality games that require moving around and interacting with the virtual world are extremely popular, but are quite dangerous when playing from your car.

The new Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, along with classics like Pokemon Go an Ingress encourage you to explore the world and gather objects and resources, but are unsafe if you are also trying to drive, and can even lead to criminal charges.

[Read more…]

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Snapchat and Reckless Driving

November 2, 2016 Leave a Comment

snapchat speed filter

The social media app Snapchat is a phenomenon among millennials.  “On any given day, Snapchat reaches 41% of all 18 to 34 year-olds in the United States.” Social media statistics reported in June, 2016 showed that Snapchat has an average daily use base of approximately 150 million. In the same month, it was reported that Snapchat had officially surpassed Twitter in daily user volume. The photo-sharing app’s surge in popularity has been nothing short of meteoric.

But there are dark sides to how this app can be used. What is commonly know about snapchat is that “snaps”, i.e. Snapchat posts, mostly images or videos, disappear after 10 seconds, or, in some cases, 24 hours.  There have been many public cases where this ability can be used in cyberbullying, or to send inappropriate or illegal sexually explicit messages.

But recent news reports suggest that the snapchat speed filter that captures a user’s rate of speed in real-time may be encouraging extremely dangerous and potentially deadly speeding behind the wheel.

[Read more…]

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Why Are Massachusetts State Police Using Helicopters to Stop Kids from Drinking?

March 8, 2016 Leave a Comment


The annual “Blarney Blowout”, is a party weekend at UMass Amherst with a reputation for rowdiness. This year there were only a small number of arrests and a typical number of citations for minors with alcohol.

There was a huge police presence from surrounding communities, and students were told by police that they couldn’t gather in large groups.

The reporting suggests serious police state overkill. Some of the casual police techniques noted in the Daily Hampshire Gazette are a little chilling:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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Criminal Procedures

  • Do I Need a Lawyer for an Arraignment in Massachusetts?
  • How to Avoid a Criminal Record – Pretrial Probation vs Pretrial Diversion
  • What To Do While You Are Waiting For a Clerk Magistrate’s Hearing Date
  • I Know I Am Guilty. Should I Just Plead Guilty in Court?
  • How Much Does a Criminal Lawyer Cost in Massachusetts?

OUI Charges

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  • OUI Marijuana or Operating Under the Influence of Drugs
  • Massachusetts OUI Penalties: Third, Fourth and Fifth Offenses
  • Worried About Your OUI? Dealing with bad circumstances in OUI cases
  • How To Work Out a DUI Plea Deal in Massachusetts
  • Arrested for Drunk Driving? Taking the Case to Trial

Criminal Charges

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