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Notable & Quotable: MBA members in the media

Thursday, Jul. 17, 2014

Notable & Quotable

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Voir Dire Bill

Healy for Notable

"This is a bill that's designed to root out prejudice, bias and racism. We can't understand why the judges would oppose the measure."

MBA Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy, Boston Business Journal, July 15

Healy spoke to the Boston Business Journal for a story on a bill that would change the way jurors are selected in Massachusetts. The House approved the bill in June, which would make attorney conducted voir dire questioning permissible across the Superior Court. "We would say it saves money and expedites the process of juror selection," said Healy.

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State Trooper's Driving Record

Notable Elikann

"Everybody's entitled to one mistake. But if there really is a huge, huge, number, just kind of layering one on top of another..."

MBA Past Criminal Justice Section Chair Peter Elikann, NECN, July 14

Elikann was interviewed by NECN for a story on Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Sean Gately who was recently placed on probation without pay for allegedly driving drunk and causing an accident last month while off-duty in Chelmsford. Gately's driving record also includes previous accidents and criminal misdemeanors of speeding and reckless driving.

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Of Note:

  • MBA President Douglas K. Sheff was quoted by several news outlets in the coverage of a fatal Lowell fire which occurred July 10. Sheff represents some of the families of the victims. "These families have a right to preserve the evidence they may need to find out the truth about what happened," Sheff told the Boston Globe ("Lowell fire tied to an electrical failure - July 15). Other coverage included WCVB, WHDH, Boston.com, the Boston Herald and the Lowell Sun.
  • The lead editorial in the July 11 edition of the Boston Globe referenced a recent report issued by the MBA's Blue Ribbon Commission on Criminal Justice Attorney Compensation. "As he scrutinizes a budget that gives raises to more top earners, Governor Patrick should give serious thought to those who are working and languishing at the bottom of the criminal justice system," stated the editorial.
  • In a FY 2015 budget amendment, Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick  named the Massachusetts Bar Association to a commission on low assistant prosecutor/public defender pay. The MBA released a statement, and the Boston Business Journal covered the story.