LibGuides: Amicus Briefs Resources: Massachusetts Courts

Amicus Announcements

Supreme Judicial Court Amicus Announcements
A list of most recent cases for which the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has solicited amicus briefs.
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Althought the SJC solicits briefs on particular cases or issues, an amicus may still obtain leave to file a brief in other cases of interest. Source: Appellate Practice in Massachusetts § 17.3.2
Massachusetts Appeals Court Amicus Invitations
A list of cases for which the Appeals Court has solicited amicus briefs.

Amicus Announcements: June and July 2017

Treatises

Appellate Practice in Massachusetts by Neal Quenzer (Editor)
ISBN: 1575896346
Publication Date: 2010-12-31
See Chapter 14. Role of the Amicus Brief, which covers filing in both federal and state courts of appeals in Massachusetts.
The most recent version of this MCLE treatise is also available on Lexis Advance, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law, and MCLE OnlinePass.
Appellate Procedure by Joseph R. Nolan; Kerry A. Durning
Call Number: Law Library Massachusetts Collection and Permanent Reserves KFM2480 .M3 v.41
ISBN: 9780314903563
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Volume 41 of the Massachusetts Practice Series has a a brief section on Amicus curiae, see § 5:26. This treatise is also available on Westlaw. Enter "41 Mass. Prac., Appellate Procedure § 5:26" in the search box to go directly to this section on Westlaw.

Massachusetts Appellate Practice
This LexisNexis Practice Guide, written by the Honorable Christopher J. Armstrong (Ret.) and Boston College Professor Thomas J. Carey, Jr., provides unique insight into the practice of appellate advocacy. In particular Chapter 5, Part 5, of this guide covers key issues for the filing of amicus curiae briefs ,with citations to applicable rules and case law as well as practical suggestions.

Massachusetts Court Rules

Like other court filings, the format, contents, and timing of the filing of amicus briefs are governed by court rules. The following is a list of rules you should consider when filing an amicus brief in the Supreme Judicial Court or the Appeals Court in Massachusetts. Annotated versions of these court rules can be found on Lexis Advance and Westlaw. Also, some legal rules are derived from case law, e.g. disclosure requirements, so review the suggested treatises for other requirements. For example, see Appellate Practice in Massachusetts § 17.3.4 for a discussion of the case law in Massachusetts on the disclosure requirements for an amicus.

Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure

Rule 16. Briefs

Rule 17. Amicus Curiae
Rule 19. Filing and Serving of Briefs and Motions
Rule 20. Form of Briefs, Appendices, and Other Papers

Supreme Judicial Court Rules & Orders

Supreme Judicial Court Order Regarding Electronic Filing Pilot Projects
Interim Electronic Filing Rules for Pilot Courts
Note: Although these orders were issued by the SJC, they would be applicable to cases in the Massachusetts Appeals Court, which allows for the filing of briefs in civil cases as part of this pilot. See Appeals Court E-Filing Guidance and Updates for more information about e-filing in this court.

Appeals Court Rules & Orders (applicable for filings in the Massachusetts Appeals Court)

Rules and Standing Order Governing Electronic Filing
Registration for E-Filing through eFileMA.com Generally

Supreme Judicial Court Records and Briefs

Mass Appellate Courts - Public Case Information

Access: Freely available on the web; updated nightly
Coverage: complete information on cases entered since January 1, 1992 in the SJC. May contain some information on older cases that were active when the conversion to the automated system occurred.
Filings: Most briefs filed since September 2007 are available in PDF from the case docket

Lexis Advance CourtLink
Covers Massachusetts appellate dockets but often docket sheet only with no links to underlying filings
Bloomberg Law Dockets

Access: requires password; all BC Law students can register for Bloomberg Law passwords using their BC email addresses
Coverage: 2009-October 2019
Filings: click the hyperlinked number next to a document entry to access filings; if the document is not immediately available, you can request it, but note that filings are often not available on Massachusetts state dockets

Westlaw Dockets

Coverage: 2000-October 2019
Filings: where available on Westlaw, they are provided on the Filings tab above the docket sheet.
Note: be sure to check currency information at the top of the docket; if necessary, click the Update button. BC Law's subscription covers updating, if available