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Massachusetts Court Documents

When an action is commenced, a docket number is assigned and a corresponding docket sheet created. At the trial level, there may be pleadings and motions filed by parties, orders issued by the court, and a final adjudication, with or without a written opinion.

For appellate cases, additional documents are often available. Appellate records and briefs provide information about the proceedings in the lower court that led to the appellate court. The record provides information about the proceedings in the lower courts such as pleadings and memoranda by the parties. The record may also include a copy of the trial court's opinion. This is especially valuable when the trial court's opinions are not published in any print or electronic sources. The briefs submitted to the appellate courts contain the arguments by the parties and citations to the authorities relied upon in those arguments.

Once cases are argued before the appellate court, oral argument recordings or transcripts may be available.

For a detailed guide on Massachusetts court records, see:

A Research Guide to the Massachusetts Courts and their Records
Print: Law Pappas KFM 2910 .M46 1987

Filings

Massachusetts Civil Trial Court Filings (MA-FILING, 1998 to present)
Massachusetts Criminal Trial Court Filings (MA-CRFILING, 1999 to present)

Dockets

Supreme Judicial Court

Internet: SJC and Appeals Court dockets (1992 to present))
Westlaw: DOCK-MA-SCT (2000 to Jan. 2008)

Massachusetts Appeals Court

Internet: SJC and Appeals Court dockets (1988 to present))
Westlaw: DOCK-MA-APP (2000 to Jan. 2008)

Briefs

Supreme Judicial Court

Microform: v. 230 (1918) to present
(organized by Massachusetts Reports volume number, then case name)

Westlaw: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Briefs and Petitions (MA-SCT-BRIEF, 1990 to present)

Internet: Court's website (September 2007 to present)

Older records and briefs in bound volumes, from 1840, are available at the Social Law Library. Please see a Pappas Law Library reference librarian for assistance.

Massachusetts Appeals Court

Microform: v.1 (1972) to present
(organized by Massachusetts Appeals Court Reports volume number, then case name)

Westlaw: Massachusetts Appeals Court Briefs (MA-APP-BRIEF, 1999 to present)

Internet: Court's website (September 2007 to present)

Note that the Appeals Court ceased publication of the lower court record with decisions reported in volume 10 of the Massachusetts Appeals Court Reports.

Oral Arguments

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court oral arguments
(September 2005-present, available with four days of argument)

 

Page maintained by Raquel Ortiz
Last updated: October 2009