Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title XVII Chapter 119
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 119, § 25 (2026)

Hearing; custody of child

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 25. The petition under section 24 may be heard on the merits when a child is taken into custody and brought before the court or may be continued to a time fixed for hearing. Pending the hearing on the merits, the court may allow the child to be placed in the care of some suitable person or licensed agency providing foster care for children or may commit the child to the custody of the department. If the court commits a child to the custody of the department, the court shall consider the provisions of section 29C and shall make the written certification and determinations required by said section 29C.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 1983–2007 · leading case: Care & Prot. of Lillian, 837 N.E.2d 269 (Mass. 2005).
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Care & Prot. of Lillian, 837 N.E.2d 269 (Mass. 2005). · cites it 4× “We also conclude that if a judge denies an emergency petition because the child is in no immediate risk of harm requiring immediate removal, but has not conducted a hearing to determine whether the department 2 should be awarded temporary custody, the petitioner may proceed to a…”
Care & Prot. of Manuel, 703 N.E.2d 211 (Mass. 1998). · cites it 3× “119 care and protection matter to hold a hearing pursuant to G. L. c. 119, § 25, to consider the nomination by him of his paternal grandparents to be his legal custodians during the pendency of the c.”
Morin v. Comm'r of Pub. Welfare, 448 N.E.2d 1287 (Mass. App. Ct. 1983). · cites it 2× “Prior to that amendment temporary custody orders were apparently governed only by G. L. c. 119, § 25, inserted by St. 1954, c.”
Care & Prot. of Martha, 553 N.E.2d 902 (Mass. 1990). “11 Citing G. L. c. 119, § 25, the mother also claims that the delay was a “statutory violation.”
Care & Prot. of Sophie, 865 N.E.2d 789 (Mass. 2007). “As provided for in G. L. c. 119, § 25, a temporary custody hearing was held on October 16, 2006, with the children present in the court house.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.