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Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

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Reviewing New Jersey v. Chun in Light of Massachusetts Source Code Challenge

In 2008, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided, New Jersey v. Chun, which was the first case where the Court addressed whether the source code of the Alcotest 7110 was scientifically reliable. This is the leading case on the issue of the source code. Massachusetts OUI Lawyers are currently conducting…

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Breath Test consent for Spanish speaking motorist charged with OUI in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will decide whether evidence of an unsuccessful attempt to take a breath test was properly admitted into evidence, given the language barrier between the defendant andarresting officer. A non-English speaking woman is arrested for DUI and fails to pass the Breathalyzer – but is the language barrier…

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Refusing a breath test: Can it result in criminal penalties, the United States Supreme Court will address this question

The United States currently has thirteen states which have criminalized drunk driving test refusal, allowing police officers to arrest and charge individuals for refusing the Breathalyzer or blood test. Unlike these thirteen states, it is not a crime to refuse such tests in Massachusetts. Although there will be a license…

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United States Supreme Court may address reasonableness of scope of seizure in Nevada v. Torres

A Nevada case brings up an important question – is it acceptable for a police officer to stop someone on the street due to a suspicion of alcohol consumption? More importantly, is it right for an officer to make these judgements based on how the person is walking? Finally, is…

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Massachusetts SJC to consider whether anonymous 911 call justifies a seizure under Article 14

Many OUI stops originate from a report of someone on the road claiming that another driver is driving erratically. In many cases, the officer will follow the motorist and make independent observations justifying the stop. In some cases the stop may be solely the result of the 911 caller. The…

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Protective Sweep found Unconstitutional by Massachusetts Appeals Court

Search and Seizure that occur in the home are subject to the highest scrutiny by the Court.  The case of Commonwealth v. Colon addresses whether a protective sweep complies with the Fourth Amendment and Article 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. What happened in the Colon Case?   Officers arrived…

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Bias in Jury Selection in Criminal Trials

The Supreme Court is reconsidering a death row conviction from 30 years ago after the prosecution’s notes from the jury selection process were found to contain multiple indicators of racial bias. Despite the evidence showing illegal racial discrimination, the State of Georgia is disputing the case, alluding to the brutality…

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Defenses to an OUI Drugs Arrest in light of recent changes to the law regarding possession of marijuana

  Police officers in Massachusetts and in particular State police officers have increased the number of arrests for OUI drugs, including marijuana. Massachusetts law prohibits a person from driving under the influence of marijuana, but it is difficult for the Commonwealth to prove this in Court. Recent case law, also…

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