Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 119, § 65 (2026)

Juvenile sessions; presence of minors; exclusion of public

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 65. Courts shall designate suitable times for the hearing of cases of children under 18 years of age, which shall be called the juvenile session, for which a separate docket and record shall be kept. Said session shall be separate from that for the trial of criminal cases, shall not, except as otherwise expressly provided, be held in conjunction with other business of the court, and shall be held in rooms not used for criminal trials; and in places where no separate juvenile courtroom is provided, hearings, so far as possible, shall be held in chambers. The court shall exclude the general public from juvenile sessions admitting only such persons as may have a direct interest in the case, except in cases where the commonwealth has proceeded by indictment. A complaint under section sixty-three may be heard in such juvenile session.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 11 cases, 1980–2012 · leading case: Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 401 N.E.2d 360 (Mass. 1980).

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Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 401 N.E.2d 360 (Mass. 1980). · cites it 4× “" A similar provision is found in G.L.c. 119, § 65, to the effect that "the court shall exclude the general public from the room" in which hearings are held on certain juvenile matters.”

Commonwealth v. Russ R., 744 N.E.2d 39 (Mass. 2001). · cites it 2× “; court proceedings open to the public, G. L. c. 119, § 65; court records open to public inspection, G.”

Commonwealth v. Keon K., 875 N.E.2d 498 (Mass. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 2× “The juvenile claims that the judge violated G. L. c. 119, § 65, which excludes the general public from juvenile proceedings, by permitting the jury to remain while he was sentenced.”

News Grp. Boston, Inc. v. Commonwealth, 568 N.E.2d 600 (Mass. 1991). · cites it 3× “267, § 4, approved on December 4, 1990, and effective forthwith by declaration of the Governor, the Legislature changed the long-standing requirement in G. L. c. 119, § 65 (1988 ed.) (see St. 1931, c.”

Commonwealth v. Walczak, 979 N.E.2d 732 (Mass. 2012). “G. L. c. 119, § 65. Records of juvenile delinquency cases are similarly closed to the public.”

Martin v. Commonwealth, 884 N.E.2d 442 (Mass. 2008). “11 IE, § 18, and records of Juvenile Court proceedings as prohibited from disclosure pursuant to G. L. c. 119, § 65. 9 On September 11, 2006, the defendant filed two motions *118 concerning any records the department claimed to be privileged: a motion for privilege determination…”

Commonwealth v. Gavin G., 772 N.E.2d 1067 (Mass. 2002). “G. L. c. 119, § 65. Nor does the public have access to court records in a juvenile delinquency case.”

Commonwealth v. Kelley, 581 N.E.2d 472 (Mass. 1991). “627 (1991), the court had occasion to consider whether an amendment to G. L. c. 119, § 65 (1990 ed.), as applied to the juveniles in that case, was an unconstitutional, ex post facto law.”

Kirk v. Commonwealth, 944 N.E.2d 135 (Mass. 2011). “119, § 38 (hearings related to protection of children, except those pertaining to resuscitation or withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment for children in custody of Department of Children and Families, “shall be closed to the general public”); G. L. c. 119, § 65 (“The…”

United States v. Three Juveniles, 862 F. Supp. 651 (D. Mass. 1994). “2d 600 (1991) (holding constitutional amendment permitting public access to juvenile proceedings in cases involving charges of murder, Mass.Gen.L. ch. 119, § 65 (West 1993) (“except when a child is charged with murder in the first or second degree the court shall exclude the…”

Commonwealth v. a Juv., 422 N.E.2d 1155 (Mass. 1982). “See G. L. c. 119, §§ 65, 72, 72A. The defendant’s claim rests on an assertion that a support order is inconsistent with the statutory purpose of treating a juvenile defendant as a child “in need of aid, encouragement and guidance.”

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.