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Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

“To protect that right, every unjustifiable intrusion by the government upon the privacy of the individual, whatever that means employed, must be deemed a violation of the Fourth Amendment.” – Justice Louis D. Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S. 438, 478 (1928)

News

Boston Bar Launches Statewide Task Force to Expand Civil Legal Aid in MA

Saying that "too many poor people now face eviction or an abusive spouse without a lawyer to help them navigate an often complex legal system," Boston Bar Association(BBA) President J.D. Smeallie today announced the creation of a twenty-seven person statewide task force that will determine the unmet need for civil legal aid across the state and examine the most cost effective way to meet that need. 
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The Issues

  • Privacy

    As data collection and information networks expand, data security and privacy issues are increasingly a central part of the legal landscape.  Legislators, regulators, businesses and lawyers are under increasing pressure to draft and implement effective laws, regulations, and security and privacy programs under rapidly changing technological, business and legal conditions. 

  • Same-Sex Marriage
    • The BBA believes that civil marriage is a basic civil rights issue fundamental to the freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 14th amendment.  In recent years, the BBA has taken other actions in support of same-sex marriage, including:
    • In 2002, we filed an independent amicus brief in support of same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health. In the brief, we argued that denying civil marriage licenses violated the Massachusetts Constitution.
    • In 2005, we drafted a brief supporting the position of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) in Cote-Whiteacre v. Dept. of Pub Health. We argued that the 1913 statute, which prevents non-resident couples from marrying in Massachusetts if that marriage would be void in their home state, was unconstitutional.
  • Death Penalty

    The BBA has repeatedly opposed legislation that would reinstitute capitol punishment and filed an amicus brief in Commonwealth v. Colon-Cruz. Our arguments point to flaws in the justice system, the death penalty's disproportionate effect on minority populations, and its failure to deter violent crime, and the fallibility of the justice system

  • See More of Our Work

    For more information or to learn how to get involved, please email Kathleen Joyce, Director of Government Relations, at kjoyce@bostonbar.org.