Feb 8, 2013 | Lead Articles, Number 1, Print Edition, Volume 46
When John Adams wrote the Massachusetts Constitution during the American Revolution, he included a provision allowing for alimony awards in divorce cases. Thus Massachusetts has recognized awards of spousal support longer than any other state. From a national...
Feb 8, 2013 | Lead Articles, Number 1, Print Edition, Volume 46
Throughout the years, I have witnessed many friends and acquaintances struggle with naming decisions during the occasions of marriage, birth of children, divorce, and remarriage. Naming decisions are deeply personal, and as expected, people choose different paths;...
Dec 3, 2012 | Lead Articles, Number 4, Print Edition, Volume 45
Work-family policy debate in the United States has focused on work and the workplace, and has presumed its primary beneficiaries are women. Women’s increased participation in the workplace brought the conflict between work and family sharply into view, and generated...
Nov 13, 2012 | Lead Articles, Number 4, Print Edition, Volume 45
Federal sentencing law is in the midst of a period of profound change. In 1984, responding to concerns about excessive judicial discretion in sentencing, Congress created the United States Sentencing Commission to promulgate the United States Sentencing Guidelines...
Nov 12, 2012 | Lead Articles, Number 4, Print Edition, Volume 45
Chapter 278, section 33E of the Massachusetts General Laws guarantees every first-degree murder defendant direct review in the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), skipping the intermediate Massachusetts Appeals Court. It also grants a more lenient standard of review. This...