Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 233, § 15 (2026)

Mode of administering oaths

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 15. The usual mode of administering oaths now practiced in the commonwealth, with the ceremony of holding up the hand, shall be observed in all cases in which an oath may be administered by law, except as provided in sections sixteen to nineteen, inclusive.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 2 cases, 2003–2018 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Murphy, 784 N.E.2d 1144 (Mass. App. Ct. 2003).

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Commonwealth v. Murphy, 784 N.E.2d 1144 (Mass. App. Ct. 2003). “See G. L. c. 233, § 15. While customary, an upraised hand is not essential.”

Commonwealth v. Dembowski, 119 N.E.3d 357 (Mass. App. Ct. 2018). “See G. L. c. 233, §§ 15 - 19 ; Mass. G. Evid.”

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