The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday ruled that a person’s privacy rights do not prevent law enforcement from obtaining and using their text messages as evidence in a trial.
The justices unanimously ruled that a lower court erred in siding with a Massachusetts man who sought to block a search of his text messages. The man, Jorge Delgado-Rivera, was charged with six others in a drug trafficking case.
Justice Frank Gaziano wrote on behalf of the justices Tuesday that the defendant had “no reasonable expectation of privacy in the sent text messages because, as with some other forms of written communication, delivery created a memorialized record of the communication that was beyond the control of the sender.”
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The Name s Not Bond: Mass. Court Takes On Casino Rules
Law360 (April 7, 2021, 10:50 PM EDT) The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in two class actions accusing Boston-area casinos of shortchanging blackjack winners, with the high court focusing on the game s fairness and asking for a little help with the rules for those who aren t famed fictional gambler James Bond.
The blackjack players led by A. Richard Schuster and Ted DeCosmo argued that casinos operated by Wynn Resorts Ltd. and MGM Springfield LLC have been paying a $60 prize to blackjack winners who bet $50, or six-to-five, despite using more favorable rules to the house reserved for a higher-payout game. Looking at hundreds.
The Name s Not Bond: Mass Court Takes On Casino Rules law360.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from law360.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on December 10, 2020
rejected a broad challenge to Governor Baker s authority to
issue emergency orders intended to combat the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic. Rejecting both the plaintiffs statutory and
constitutional claims, the SJC s opinion in
Desrosiers v.
The Governor endorses the Governor s continued
authority to act without additional legislative authorization.
The plaintiffs – a coalition of business owners operating
hair and tanning salons, a gym, restaurants, two houses of worship,
a religious academy, a family entertainment center, and a
conference center – argued that the string of executive
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upholds Gov. Charlie Baker’s executive orders to combat COVID pandemic
Updated Dec 10, 2020;
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday upheld Gov. Charlie Baker’s use of emergency executive orders to close certain businesses, implement curfews and make other changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a 41-page decision authored by Justice Elspeth Cypher, the state’s highest court wrote that Baker’s declaration of a state of emergency did not infringe on other branches of state government or violate residents’ First Amendment rights.
“The emergency orders do not unconstitutionally burden the plaintiffs’ right to free assembly because reducing the dangers of COVID-19 is a significant government interest, and because the emergency orders are content neutral and narrowly tailored, and they leave open alternative channels of communication,” Cypher wrote.