If you have just been handed a speeding ticket by a Massachusetts police officer and are wondering if you should bother to fight it here are five reasons why you need to fight it. 1) Insurance Increase A Massachusetts speeding ticket costs much more than what the officer wrote in the box. Massachusetts has a… Read More
Five Consequences of a Massachusetts Warrants
If you have a warrant in Massachusetts it means that you can be arrested at any time. Default warrants are issued when someone does not show up for court. Most warrants in Massachusetts are non-bailable warrants. That means that a bail commissioner or clerk cannot set a bail and that only a judge could release… Read More
Massachusetts Most Expensive State to Fight A Speeding Ticket
According to Yahoo, Massachusetts ranks as the most expensive state to fight a ticket. In order to fight a ticket in Massachusetts a driver has to pay a twenty five dollar non-refundable fee to have a clerk an appeal before a clerk magistrate. If the driver does not agree with decision of the magistrate then… Read More
How Speeding Tickets Impact Massachusetts Auto Insurance
The Massachusetts Safe Driver Insurance Plan is an optional insurance plan by the state Registry of Motor Vehicles for providing insurance premium reductions to those drivers with safe driving histories. The Safe Driver Insurance Plan, also known as SDIP, is not mandatory for Massachusetts insurance companies; they are free to develop their own models if… Read More
Police Don’t Need Warrant for DNA – US Supreme Court
The United States Supreme Court ruled today that police do not need to get warrants before taking a person’s DNA. The Court ruled 5-4 that police can continue to DNA samples from people that have been arrested with the need for a warrant. The Court likened the taking of a person’s DNA to fingerprinting or… Read More
How Massachusetts Judge’s Set Bail
In Massachusetts, the purpose for bail is to ensure a person’s appearance at the next court date. Most people charged with crimes in Massachusetts are released on their own personal recognizance, or their promise to appear at the next date. For other people, it is up to the judge to set the bail amount. Bail… Read More
States Can’t Ban Sex Offenders From Social Media
A law that forbids sex offenders from using social media sites that allow children to access has been ruled unconstitutional by a Federal Appeals court in Illinois. An Indiana state law made it a crime for sex offenders from accessing sites like Facebook because children also used the site. The Federal Appeals court called the… Read More
Top Seven Traits of a Great Criminal Attorney
Nobody plans to get arrested and therefore nobody plans to hire a criminal defense attorney. Yet when the need arises everyone wants the best criminal defense attorney. Unless you have been raised by a family of criminals you probably don’t know what to look in a criminal defense attorney. Here are the top seven things… Read More
Judge Grants Dog Restraining Order
For the first time a Massachusetts judge has issued a restraining order on behalf of a dog. The 6 year old Labrador mix named Panzer is the first dog to be the subject of a restraining order since Governor Patrick signed a new animal welfare bill into law. The new law created a spay and neutering… Read More
Former “Most Eligible Bachelor” Not Guilty of Rape
Gary Zerola, 2001 People Magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelor and former Assistant District District Attorney, was found not guilty by a jury in his second rape case of the year. Mr. Zerola a criminal defense attorney was accused of raping a 19 year old Boston woman. Earlier this year, a jury acquitted him of the rape… Read More