Attorneys urged to respond to SJC's Judicial Performance
Evaluation survey
The Supreme Judicial Court's Judicial Performance Evaluation
Committee is asking attorneys to respond to questionnaires
evaluating the performance of Western Mass. judges. The full
participation of the bar is crucial to enhancing the performance
and quality of the judicial branch.
Judges of the District, Superior, Probate and Family, Housing, and
Juvenile courts in Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin
counties will be evaluated by attorneys, court employees and
jurors.
Attorneys should take the time to complete the questionnaire, as
the more responses received, the more accurate the judicial
evaluations will be. The SJC's evaluation program is the best
opportunity for attorneys to voice their opinions of the members of
the judiciary.
SJC approves changes to Rule 4:02
The Supreme Judicial Court has approved changes to Rule 4:02 of
the Rules of the Supreme Judicial Court effective July 1, 2014.
Visit www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/ to view changes.
2014 edition of the 'Massachusetts Guide to Evidence' now
available
The Supreme Judicial Court and its Executive Committee on
Massachusetts Evidence Law have announced the release of the 2014
edition of the "Massachusetts Guide to Evidence." The justices of
the Supreme Judicial Court recommend use of the guide by the bench,
bar and public.
The 2014 edition is the sixth annual edition of the guide. It is
available without charge at
www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/guide-to-evidence. The official print
edition is available for purchase from the Flaschner Judicial
Institute, which is again providing a complimentary copy to every
judge and appointed and elected clerk in the commonwealth.
The "Massachusetts Guide to Evidence" assembles existing
Massachusetts evidence law in an easy-to-use document organized
similarly to the "Federal Rules of Evidence." The guide includes
extensive explanatory notes and citations to pertinent
authorities.
Judiciary submits proposal to expand Housing Court to cover entire
state
The Judicial Branch has submitted a proposal to the Legislature to
expand the Housing Court to the entire commonwealth by July 1,
2015.
Created in 1978, the Housing Court Department is a court of
specialized jurisdiction that deals with residential housing
matters, including landlord-tenant issues, and enforces the
commonwealth's building, fire and sanitary codes. Its growth over
the ensuing decades has been patchwork in nature: about 20 percent
of Massachusetts in geographic terms is not covered by a Housing
Court and, since the uncovered areas are quite populous, about 30
percent of the state's population does not have access to a Housing
Court.
Major areas of the commonwealth do not have the much-needed
services of a Housing Court. There is no Housing Court for all of
Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties, most of Norfolk County
and much of Middlesex County. Cities with some of the highest
number of rental units, such as Chelsea, Framingham, Malden,
Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Watertown, Woburn and Waltham, do
not have a Housing Court. Barnstable County has a significant
number of rental units. New legislation would address this
shortfall, expanding access to justice in housing matters
throughout the state.
In areas unserved by a Housing Court, housing cases, along with a
broad range of legal matters, are heard in a District Court.
Housing Court judges have in-depth knowledge to analyze the
labyrinth of federal, state and local housing laws. The judges also
work closely with the court's Housing Specialists, who mediate
cases, saving time and expense of litigation, and perform on-site
property reviews to resolve issues concerning housing
conditions.