In Commonwealth v. French (2015), an Appeals Court case briefed and argued by a friend and colleague of mine, the Defendant’s criminal conviction by a District Court judge of breaking and entering in the daytime with the intent to commit a felony, and larceny of property over $250, was upheld by the Massachusetts Appeals Court,…

Commonwealth v. Grady (2016), involved a State Police arrest for operating under the influence (OUI).  After the arrest, the State Police searched the defendant’s vehicle and discovered, inside a container, certain substances that they suspected were contraband. The suspected illegal drugs were sent to the State Police crime laboratory for analysis, including weighing and identifying…

The Supreme Judicial Court recently concluded that where a criminal defendant challenges the legality of a traffic stop for speeding, the police must articulate specific facts that support the conclusion that the defendant’s speed was greater that reasonable. In the 2016 case of Commonwealth v. Teixeira-Furtado, the police stopped a car for speeding.  At about…