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Supreme Court -- Warrantless
Cellphone Search

"Never before has the United States Supreme Court
decided whether or not a cellphone is subjected to police search
after the arrest of an individual."
MBA Chief Legal Counsel
and Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy, WBUR (NPR), April 28
Healy spoke to Boston's NPR affiliate about the Supreme Court
case United States vs. Wurie, which
originated in South Boston. At question is whether police without a
warrant can search the call log of a cell phone found on someone
who has been arrested. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the
case on April 29. MBA Past Criminal Justice Section Chair Peter
Elikann also provided his insight on the case as a guest on FOX25. "The justices have actually
been surprising about protecting privacy rights as the new
technology comes up," said Elikann.
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Pothole Damage Statute

"The statute just doesn't provide for property
damages on a state road. If you can find some way of saying maybe
the city and state combined to create a defect then you might have
an argument."
MBA President Douglas K.
Sheff, WBZ TV Channel 4 (CBS Boston), April
28
Sheff spoke to WBZ TV as part of a story on damage caused by
potholes on both city and state roads in Boston. State and
municipal roads are not governed by the same statute. The law
governing municipal and county roads (
MGL c.84, s.15.) specifically mentions recovery for bodily
injury and property damage. The law governing state roads (
MGL c.81, s.18) mentions recovery for injuries only.
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DCF Abuse Accusation

"Any time DCF supports those types of allegations,
it's a serious situation. It "basically means" there is evidence
the child was abused or neglected or at risk of being abused or
neglected."
MBA President-elect Marsha V.
Kazarosian, Cape Cod Times, April 25
Kazarosian was quoted in the Cape Cod Times in a story
on a Department of Children & Families (DCF) report which
accuses two South Yarmouth caregivers of abuse against 23-month-old
Lucas Braman."It's really in the hands of the district attorney's
office to determine whether there's probable cause to have criminal
charges," said Kazarosian. On Tuesday, Kazarosian was also
interviewed by WBZ 1030 AM for a piece on the recent changes at DCF
amid a 2014 report from the Child Welfare League of America.