Peabody Essex Museum and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announce Return of Historic Salem Witch Trial Documents (1/12)

SALEM, MA & BOSTON, MA – Today, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) and the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) of Massachusetts begin the transfer of court documents from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. PEM’s Phillips Library has been the temporary repository of this collection of 527 documents since 1980. The documents now return to the Judicial Archives following the expansion and modernization of the Massachusetts State Archives facility in Boston. Read Full Article

Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Committee Honors Attorneys for Outstanding Commitment to Pro Bono Legal Services ​

Supreme Judicial Court Justice Kimberly S. Budd presented Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards to three attorneys and the inaugural Ralph D. Gants Award for Extraordinary Leadership in Pro Bono Service to a fourth attorney for their exceptional dedication to providing volunteer legal services for persons who cannot afford an attorney for their essential legal needs. Read Full Article

Supreme Judicial Court Issues New Order ​Regarding Jury Trials and Operation of Courts (9/17)

The Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) today issued an updated order regarding the operation of Massachusetts state courts and courthouses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The order goes into effect immediately. Read Full Article

Supreme Judicial Court to Hold Special Sitting in Barnstable on October 2

The Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments in four cases during a special sitting at the Barnstable Superior Court. The special sitting provides an opportunity for students, media, and residents of the local community to view the work of the highest court of the Commonwealth outside of the John Adams Courthouse in Boston, where cases are normally heard. Read Full Article

Supreme Judicial Court Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being Releases Report

The Supreme Judicial Court today announced that the Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being has submitted its final report to the Justices. The Court established the Steering Committee in September 2018 to explore and make recommendations regarding the state of lawyer well-being in the Commonwealth, following the publication in August 2017 of the Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, which found, based on nationwide surveys of practicing lawyers, judges, and law students, that many “are struggling with serious physical and mental health issues that are exacerbated, if not caused, by the way that law is practiced today.” Read Full Article