Massachusetts Court Rules
Massachusetts Court Rules
✓ current as of July 2026Full text of 291 rules across 4 sets, cross-linked with Massachusetts case law.
Mass. R. Crim. P. — 54 rules
- Title; scope
- Purpose; construction; definition of terms
- Complaint and indictment; waiver of indictment; probable cause hearing
- Determination of probable cause for detention
- Form and contents of complaint or indictment; amendment
- The grand jury
- Summons to appear; arrest warrant
- Initial appearance and arraignment
- Assignment of counsel
- Joinder of offenses or defendants
- Continuances
- Pretrial conference and pretrial hearing
- Pleas and plea agreements
- Pretrial motions
- Pretrial discovery from the prosecution
- Pretrial reciprocal discovery from the defense
- Pretrial discovery procedures
- Pretrial discovery of affirmative defenses; self defense and first aggressor
- Pretrial discovery of mental health issues
- Interlocutory appeal
- Dismissal by the prosecution
- Summonses for witnesses
- Presence of defendant
- Trial by jury or by the court
- Trial jurors
- Sequestration of witnesses
- Objections
- Stipulations
- Opening statements; arguments; instructions to jury
- Motion required for finding of not guilty
- Requests for rulings
- Verdict
- Judgment
- Revision or revocation of disposition
- Postconviction relief
- Stay of execution; relief pending review automatic expiration of stay
- Filing and service of papers
- Counsel for defendants indigent or indigent but able to contribute
- Report
- Depositions to perpetuate testimony
- Case management
- Transfer of cases
- Disability of judge
- Records of foreign proceedings and notice of foreign law
- Proof of official records
- Interpreters and experts
- Clerical mistakes
- Summary contempt proceedings
- Contempt
- Disruptive defendant
- Time
- Special magistrates
- Sanctions
- Restitution
Mass. G. Evid. § — 113 rules
- Title
- Purpose and construction
- Rulings on evidence, objections, and offers of proof
- Preliminary questions
- Limiting evidence that is not admissible against other parties or for other purposes
- Doctrine of completeness
- Judicial notice of adjudicative facts
- Judicial notice of law
- Civil cases
- Criminal cases
- Test for relevant evidence
- General admissibility of relevant evidence
- Excluding relevant evidence for prejudice, confusion, waste of time, or other reasons
- Character evidence; crimes or other acts
- Methods of proving character
- Routine practice of a business; habit of an individual
- Subsequent remedial measures
- Compromise offers and negotiations in civil cases
- Expressions of sympathy in civil cases; offers to pay medical and similar expenses
- Pleas, offers of pleas, and related statements
- Insurance
- Sexual behavior or sexual reputation (Rape-shield law)
- First complaint of sexual assault
- Industry and safety standards
- Privileges recognized only as provided
- Attorney-client privilege
- Psychotherapist-patient privilege
- Spousal privilege and disqualification; parent-child disqualification
- Domestic violence victims’ counselor privilege
- Sexual assault counselor-victim privilege
- Social worker-client privilege
- Allied mental health or human services professional privilege
- Identity of informer, surveillance location, and protected witness privileges
- Religious privilege
- Privilege against self-incrimination
- Jury deliberations
- Medical peer review privilege
- Mediation privilege
- Investigatory privilege
- Political voter disqualification
- Trade secrets
- Executive or governmental privilege
- State and federal tax returns
- Tax return preparer
- Sign language interpreter-client privilege
- Interpreter-client privilege
- Waiver of privilege
- Privileged matter disclosed erroneously or without opportunity to claim privilege
- Comment upon or inference from claim of privilege
- Unemployment hearing privilege
- Judicial deliberation privilege
- Union member-union privilege
- Protections regarding diversion programs
- Competency
- Need for personal knowledge
- Oath or affirmation to testify truthfully
- Interpreters
- Competency of judge as witness
- Juror’s competency as a witness
- Who may impeach a witness
- A witness’s character for truthfulness or untruthfulness
- Impeachment by evidence of conviction of crime
- Religious beliefs or opinions
- Mode and order of examining witnesses and presenting evidence
- Writing or object used to refresh memory
- Prior statements of witnesses, limited admissibility
- Calling and examination of witnesses by court or jurors
- Sequestration of witnesses
- Opinion testimony by lay witnesses
- Testimony by expert witnesses
- Bases of opinion testimony by experts
- Opinion on ultimate issue
- Disclosure of facts or data underlying expert opinion
- Court-appointed experts
- Definitions
- The rule against hearsay
- Hearsay exceptions; availability of declarant immaterial
- Hearsay exceptions; declarant unavailable
- Hearsay within hearsay
- Attacking and supporting credibility of hearsay declarant
- Residual exception
- Authenticating or identifying evidence
- Evidence that is self-authenticating
- Subscribing witness's testimony
- Definitions that apply to this article
- Requirement of original (Best evidence rule)
- Admissibility of duplicates
- Admissibility of other evidence of contents
- Official records
- Summaries to prove content
- Testimony or statement of party to prove content
- Functions of judge and fact finder
- Applicability of evidentiary sections
- Spoliation or destruction of evidence
- Sexually dangerous person proceedings
- Witness cooperation agreements
- Third-party culprit evidence
- Abuse prevention and harassment prevention proceedings
- Inadequate police investigation evidence
- Access to third-party records prior to trial in criminal cases (Lampron-Dwyer Protocol)
- View
- Consciousness of guilt or liability
- Missing witness
- Eyewitness identification
- Opening statement and closing argument; Applicable to criminal and civil cases
- Restitution
- Evidentiary issues in care and protection, child custody, and termination of parental rights cases
- Peremptory challenges of potential jurors
- Civil commitment hearings for mental illness
- Civil commitment hearings for alcohol and substance use disorders
- Digital evidence
- Courtroom demonstrations, experiments, and computer simulations
- Parol evidence
Mass. R. Civ. P. — 90 rules
- Scope of rules
- One form of action
- Commencement of action
- Process
- Attachment
- Trustee process
- Arrest: Supplementary process: Ne exeat
- Service and filing of pleadings and other papers
- Time
- Pleadings allowed: Form of motions
- General rules of pleading
- Special requirements for certain consumer debts
- Pleading special matters
- Form of pleadings
- Appearances and pleadings
- Defenses and objections - When and how presented - By pleading or motion - Motion for judgment on pleadings
- Counterclaim and cross-claim
- Third-party practice
- Amended and supplemental pleadings
- Pre-trial procedure: Formulating issues
- Parties plaintiff and defendant: Capacity
- Joinder of claims and remedies
- Joinder of persons needed for just adjudication
- Permissive joinder of parties
- Misjoinder and non-joinder of parties
- Interpleader
- Class actions
- Derivative actions by shareholders
- Actions relating to unincorporated associations
- Intervention
- Substitution of parties
- General provisions governing discovery
- Depositions before action or pending appeal
- Persons before whom depositions may be taken
- Stipulations regarding discovery procedure
- Depositions upon oral examination
- Depositions of witnesses upon written questions
- Use of depositions in court proceedings
- Interrogatories to parties
- Producing documents, electronically stored information, and tangible things, or entering onto land, for inspection and other purposes
- Physical and mental examination of persons
- Requests for admission
- Failure to make discovery: Sanctions
- Jury trial of right
- Trial by jury or by the court
- Assignment of cases for trial: Continuances
- Dismissal of actions
- Consolidation: Separate trials
- Evidence
- Proof of official records
- Determination of foreign law
- Subpoena
- Exceptions unnecessary
- Jurors
- Number of jurors - Majority verdict
- Special verdicts and interrogatories
- Motion for a directed verdict and for judgment notwithstanding the verdict
- Argument: Instructions to jury
- Findings by the court
- Masters
- Judgments: Costs
- Default
- Special requirements for defaults and default judgments for certain consumer debts
- Summary judgment
- Declaratory judgment
- Entry of judgment
- New trials: Amendment of judgments
- Relief from judgment or order
- Harmless error
- Stay of proceedings to enforce a judgment
- Unavailability of a judge; receipt of verdict
- Report of case
- Injunctions
- Security: Proceedings against security provider
- Redelivery of goods or chattels
- Proceedings for civil contempt
- Receivers
- Deposit in court
- Offer of judgment
- Execution
- Judgment for specific acts: Vesting title
- Process in behalf of and against persons not parties
- Courts and clerks
- Motion day
- Books and records kept by the clerk and entries therein
- Stenographic report or transcript
- Applicability of rules
- Jurisdiction and venue unaffected
- Supplemental rules
- Title
Mass. R. App. P. — 34 rules
- Scope of rules: definitions
- Suspension of rules
- Appeal - how taken
- Appeal - when taken
- Report of a case for determination
- Stay or injunction pending appeal
- Disability of a member of the lower court
- The record on appeal
- Assembly of the record; reproduction of exhibits; notice of assembly; and transmission of documents from the lower court
- Docketing the appeal
- Direct appellate review
- Transfer from Supreme Judicial Court
- Proceedings involving an indigent party
- Filing and service
- Computation and extension of time
- Motions
- Briefs
- Brief of an amicus curiae
- Appendix to the briefs: contents, cost, filing, and service
- Filing and serving of briefs, appendices, and certain motions
- Form and length of briefs, appendices, and other documents
- Protection of personal identifying information
- Oral argument
- Notice of decision; issuance of rescript; stay of rescript
- Justices' participation
- Damages for frivolous appeal in civil cases
- Costs in civil cases
- Motion for reconsideration or modification of decision
- Further appellate review
- Procedure in lower court following rescript
- Voluntary dismissal of appeal or other proceeding
- Substitution of parties in civil cases
- Duties of clerks
- Title