General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 218 District Courts
- Massachusetts General Laws - Territorial jurisdiction and place of holding court - Chapter 218, Section 1
The district court department, established under section 1 of chapter 211B, shall consist of divisions, 1 for each of the judicial districts hereinafter enumerated, and...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Boston municipal courts; concurrent jurisdiction over waters and islands - Chapter 218, Section 2
The municipal courts in Boston shall have concurrent jurisdiction over all waters, islands and places not included in the district of any one of said...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Transfer of civil actions brought in wrong court - Chapter 218, Section 2A
Each district court shall have civil jurisdiction of actions local or transitory begun in such court which should have been brought in some other district...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Boston municipal courts; concurrent criminal jurisdiction over waters and islands - Chapter 218, Section 3
The central, Charlestown, South Boston, and East Boston divisions of the Boston municipal court department, shall have and exercise, concurrently with each other, the same...
- Massachusetts General Laws - District court jurisdiction; seals - Chapter 218, Section 4
District courts shall be courts of record. They shall be courts of superior and general jurisdiction with reference to all cases and matters in which...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Contempt cases; service of process - Chapter 218, Section 5
Processes issued in contempt cases may be served by any officer qualified to serve criminal process.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justices; number; terms; compensation; duties - Chapter 218, Section 6
In each district court, as provided in section one, one appointment of associate justice of the trial court shall be made; except that the courts...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Special justices of district court; certification of full time duties; restrictions on employment - Chapter 218, Section 6A
(a) Any special justice of a district court holding office on January first, nineteen hundred and seventy-six may, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Oaths; power to administer - Chapter 218, Section 7
Justices and special justices of district courts may, in or out of court, administer oaths in all cases in which an oath is required, unless...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks; appointment; number; retirement; vacation and sick leave - Chapter 218, Section 8
Each district court shall have a clerk and the central division of the Boston municipal court department shall have one clerk as provided in section...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Temporary clerks - Chapter 218, Section 9
In the case of the absence, death or removal of a clerk of a court of the district court department, the chief justice of the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Assistant clerks - Chapter 218, Section 10
The clerk of a district court may, subject to the approval of the court administrator as to compliance with personnel standards promulgated pursuant to section...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Deputy assistant clerks; power to designate - Chapter 218, Section 10A
The clerk of each district court, except the central division of the Boston municipal court department, may, designate such employees in his office, as in...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Temporary assistant clerks - Chapter 218, Section 11
In case of the absence, death or removal of a salaried assistant clerk of the district court department and the Boston municipal court department, the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks; oath of office; duties and powers - Chapter 218, Section 12
The clerks, assistant clerks, temporary clerks and temporary assistant clerks of said courts shall be sworn, and in the case of any such assistant clerk,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Records; storage - Chapter 218, Section 13
The records, papers and documents of the district courts may, subject to the approval of the supervisor of public records, be stored and kept in...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Facsimile signatures - Chapter 218, Section 14
Clerks and assistant clerks of district courts may sign process issued by the said courts, and court records, documents or other legal papers, or copies...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Times for holding trials; office hours - Chapter 218, Section 15
The chief justice for the district court department, and the chief justice for the Boston municipal court department, shall prescribe the times for holding civil...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Bond of clerk - Chapter 218, Section 16
The clerk of a division of the district court department before entering upon the performance of his official duties, and thereafter, at intervals of not...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justice, clerk or assistant clerk; restrictions on practice of law; special justices; restrictions on hearing or trying cases - Chapter 218, Section 17
A justice, clerk or assistant clerk of a district court shall not be retained or employed as an attorney in an action, complaint or proceeding...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justices and clerks; receipt of certain fees; prohibition - Chapter 218, Section 18
A justice, special justice acting in the place of the justice, clerk or assistant clerk of a district court shall not receive any fee or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - General provisions - Chapter 218, Section 19
[Text of section applicable as provided by 2004, 252, Sec. 23.] Except as otherwise provided by law, the district court and Boston municipal court departments...
- Massachusetts General Laws - District court or Boston municipal court; statement of facts in support of civil action for damages; dismissal; appeals - Chapter 218, Section 19A
(a) A clerk-magistrate in a district court or in the Boston municipal court shall not accept for filing any complaint or other pleading which commences...
- Massachusetts General Laws - District court or Boston municipal court; trial by jury of six; appeals - Chapter 218, Section 19B
(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, all civil actions for money damages, or summary process actions, filed in a district court or the Boston...
- Massachusetts General Laws - District court jurisdiction; equity powers and rules - Chapter 218, Section 19C
The district court and Boston municipal court departments of the trial court shall have the same equitable powers and jurisdiction as is provided for the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Housing specialists; appointment; knowledge requisites; powers and duties - Chapter 218, Section 19D
The first justice of a district court may appoint, subject to appropriation, and subject to the approval of the chief justice of the district court...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Actions against executors and administrators, and against bail - Chapter 218, Section 20
District courts shall also have jurisdiction of civil actions against executors and administrators under section ten of chapter two hundred and thirty, and shall further...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Power to establish rules of procedure; venue; jurisdictional amount; hearings; damages and penalties - Chapter 218, Section 21
There shall be within the district court department and the Boston municipal court department a simple, informal and inexpensive procedure, hereinafter called the procedure, for...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Procedure - Chapter 218, Section 22
The procedure shall include the beginning of actions with an entry fee of $20 for claims of $500 for less and $30 for claims of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Initial determination of cause; removal; claim for trial by jury; bond or deposit; finding as evidence; report to appellate division - Chapter 218, Section 23
Every cause begun under the procedure shall be determined initially in the district court department. No such cause may be removed for trial in the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Transfer to regular docket - Chapter 218, Section 24
The court may, in its discretion, transfer a cause begun under the procedure to the regular civil docket for formal hearing and determination as though...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Costs; discretion of court - Chapter 218, Section 25
In any civil action begun by summons and complaint which might have been begun under the procedure, the rules for the procedure may provide, or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - General provisions - Chapter 218, Section 26
The district courts and divisions of the Boston municipal court department shall have original jurisdiction, concurrent with the superior court, of the following offenses, complaint...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Trial by jury; discovery; jury-waived trial; record of proceedings; probation - Chapter 218, Section 26A
Trial of criminal offenses in the Boston municipal court department and in the district court department shall be by a jury of six persons, unless...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Imposition of penalties - Chapter 218, Section 27
The district court may impose the same penalties as the superior court for all crimes of which they have jurisdiction, except that they may not...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Jury sessions - Chapter 218, Section 27A
(a) Every division of the district court department is authorized to hold jury sessions for the purpose of conducting jury trials of cases commenced in...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Recognizances to keep peace - Chapter 218, Section 28
District courts may require persons found guilty of any crime within their final jurisdiction, except a violation of by-laws, orders, ordinances, rules and regulations, made...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1964, 308, Sec. 10 - Chapter 218, Section 29
Repealed, 1964, 308, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Binding over to superior court - Chapter 218, Section 30
They shall commit or bind over for trial in the superior court persons brought before them who appear to be guilty of crimes not within...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1992, 379, Sec. 142 - Chapter 218, Section 31
Repealed, 1992, 379, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Complaints and warrants - Chapter 218, Section 32
District courts may receive complaints and issue warrants and other processes for the apprehension of persons charged with crime and found within their county, or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Warrants and process; power of clerks to issue - Chapter 218, Section 33
A clerk, assistant clerk, temporary clerk or temporary assistant clerk, may receive complaints, administer to complainants the oath required thereto, and issue warrants, search warrants...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Arrest without warrant; endorsement of complaint by arresting officer - Chapter 218, Section 34
Said courts may dispense with the issuing of a warrant if the person charged with a crime has been arrested without a warrant and brought...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Complaints, warrants and process; power to issue; disqualification to hear case; destruction of applications for complaints - Chapter 218, Section 35
A justice or special justice of a district court, or a justice of the peace who is also a clerk or assistant clerk of such...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Process; issuance on complaints for misdemeanors; consideration of criminal records and domestic violence records; right to hearing - Chapter 218, Section 35A
If a complaint is received by a district court, or by a justice, associate justice or special justice thereof, or by a clerk, assistant clerk,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justice of peace; taking bail - Chapter 218, Section 36
The governor, with the advice and consent of the council, may from time to time, upon the petition of the aldermen or the selectmen of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Process for witnesses and defendants in criminal and juvenile cases; direction and service - Chapter 218, Section 37
District courts, justices, special justices, clerks, assistant clerks, temporary clerks and temporary assistant clerks thereof may issue summonses and other processes for witnesses in criminal...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Access to courts; sittings; adjournments; filing of complaints - Chapter 218, Section 38
District courts and Boston municipal court divisions shall always be open and business may be transacted at any time, except as provided in section six...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Books and supplies - Chapter 218, Section 39
Justices and clerks of district courts, except the central division of the Boston municipal court department, may procure all law books relating to the laws...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Part-time special justices; authorized cases - Chapter 218, Section 40
A special justice of a district court who does not serve full-time in accordance with the provisions of section six A shall sit on the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Special justice; powers and duties - Chapter 218, Section 41
A special justice of a district court shall at all times have and exercise all the powers and duties of a justice of such court,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Adjournment when justice absent - Chapter 218, Section 42
If no justice or special justice is present at the time and place appointed for holding a session of a district court, the sheriff or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Chief justice; powers and duties - Chapter 218, Section 42A
The justice, as provided under section 1 of chapter 211B, as the chief justice for the district court department, in addition to his judicial powers...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Deputy court administrator - Chapter 218, Section 42B
The deputy court administrator for the district court department, as provided under section 1 of chapter 211B shall, subject to the superintendence authority of the...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Uniform rules of practice and procedure; power to make and promulgate - Chapter 218, Section 43
The chief justice shall from time to time make and promulgate uniform rules of practice and procedure, subject to the approval of the supreme judicial...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Uniform practices; forms; superintendence of record keeping - Chapter 218, Section 43A
The chief justice shall be authorized to require uniform practices, to prescribe forms of blanks and records, and to superintend the keeping of records by...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Official forms; powers of chief justice - Chapter 218, Section 43B
In addition to the powers set forth in section forty-three A, the chief justice for the district court department shall prescribe official forms to be...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec. 199 - Chapter 218, Section 43C
Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1993, 478, Sec. 7 - Chapter 218, Section 43D
Repealed, 1993, 478, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Community mediation advisory board; coordinator - Chapter 218, Section 43E
There shall be established a district court community mediation advisory board. The board shall be advisory to the chief justice of the district court department...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Process; formal requisites; territorial jurisdiction - Chapter 218, Section 44
Processes issuing from district courts shall be under the seal of the court, signed by the clerk or an assistant clerk or temporary clerk or...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1975, 377, Sec. 15 - Chapter 218, Section 45 46
Repealed, 1975, 377, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks; duty to make payments and to account; penalty - Chapter 218, Section 47
Clerks of district courts, except Boston municipal court department, shall, on or before the tenth day of each month, account for and pay over to...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Sentences to Deer Island - Chapter 218, Section 48
In cases in which municipal courts in Boston are authorized to sentence to imprisonment in the house of correction or county jail, or to commit...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks; duty to pay certain fees; advances; accounting - Chapter 218, Section 49
In the municipal courts in Boston, except the central division of the Boston municipal court department, and in the East Boston division of the Boston...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justices; number; vacation and sick leave; rule making power - Chapter 218, Section 50
The Boston municipal court department established under section one of chapter two hundred and eleven B shall consist of 30 associate justices of the trial...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec. 205 - Chapter 218, Section 51
Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Chief justice of the Boston Municipal Court department; powers and duties - Chapter 218, Section 51A
The justice provided for under section 1 of chapter 211B as the chief justice of the Boston municipal court department, in addition to his judicial...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justices and special justices; assignment; additional sessions; compensation, etc. - Chapter 218, Section 52
In addition to the powers conferred in section ten of chapter two hundred and eleven B, the chief justice referred to in section fifty-one A...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks; criminal and civil business - Chapter 218, Section 52A
The central division of the Boston municipal court department shall have one clerk for both criminal and civil business. The position of clerk for civil...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks and assistant clerks - Chapter 218, Section 53
In the central division of the Boston municipal court department, there shall be one clerk and the same number of assistant clerks of said court...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Temporary assistant clerks - Chapter 218, Section 53A
In case of the absence, death or removal of a salaried assistant clerk of the central division of the Boston municipal court department, the clerk...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Civil jurisdiction - Chapter 218, Section 54
In addition to the jurisdiction otherwise conferred and except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the central division of the Boston municipal court department shall...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Recording systems; stenographic and medical services and equipment - Chapter 218, Section 55
The chief justice of the Boston municipal court department may employ stenographic services and provide for recording systems for the court. Said department may secure...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks; accounting; penalty - Chapter 218, Section 56
The clerk shall, on or before the tenth day of each month, account for and pay over to the collector of the city of Boston...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Juvenile courts; divisions; territorial jurisdiction; appeals - Chapter 218, Section 57
The juvenile court department established under section one of chapter two hundred and eleven B as of July first, nineteen hundred and ninety-three shall be...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Chief justice for the juvenile court department; powers and duties - Chapter 218, Section 57A
The justice provided for under section 1 of chapter 211B as the chief justice for the juvenile court department, in addition to his judicial powers...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Deputy court administrator for the juvenile court department - Chapter 218, Section 57B
The deputy court administrator for the juvenile court department as provided for under section 1 of chapter 211B shall, subject to the superintendence authority of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Justices and clerks; assignment; salaries; vacation and sick leave; interpreters - Chapter 218, Section 58
The Suffolk county division of the juvenile court department shall consist of seven justices, the Middlesex county division shall consist of six justices, the Worcester...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Administrative assistant for intergovernmental relations - Chapter 218, Section 58A
The Boston juvenile court shall have an administrative assistant for intergovernmental relations who shall coordinate activities between the Boston juvenile court and the department of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Special justices of Boston juvenile court; certification of full-time duties; restrictions on employment - Chapter 218, Section 58B
(a) Any special justice of the Boston juvenile court holding office on January first, nineteen hundred and seventy-six may, in accordance with the provisions of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Special justices of juvenile court - Chapter 218, Section 58C
(a) Any special justice of a juvenile court who assumes office after January first, nineteen hundred and seventy-six shall devote full time during ordinary business...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Powers, duties and procedure; jurisdiction - Chapter 218, Section 59
Except as otherwise provided by law, the divisions of the juvenile court department shall have and exercise, within their respective jurisdictions, the same powers, duties,...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Jurisdiction over offenders; rule making power - Chapter 218, Section 60
Within the territorial limits prescribed in section fifty-seven, the divisions of the juvenile court department shall have and exercise jurisdiction, exclusive of all municipal and...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1992, 379, Sec. 168 - Chapter 218, Section 61 to 65
Repealed, 1992, 379, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Boston municipal court department; messenger - Chapter 218, Section 66
There shall be a messenger of the Boston municipal court department, appointed by a majority of the justices.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Boston municipal court; interpreters - Chapter 218, Section 67
The chief justice of the Boston municipal court department may appoint such official court interpreters, or enter into such service contracts for the provision of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - East Boston division of the Boston municipal court department; interpreter - Chapter 218, Section 68
The justice of the East Boston division of the Boston municipal court department may appoint an Italian interpreter for that court. Said interpreter shall be...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks of divisions of district court department; allowance for assistance - Chapter 218, Section 69
Clerks of the divisions of the district court department shall be allowed annually for clerical assistance such amounts as shall be approved by the chief...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Clerks of Boston municipal and juvenile court departments; allowance for assistance - Chapter 218, Section 70
The clerks of the Boston municipal court department and the clerks of the divisions of the juvenile court department shall each be annually allowed for...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1922, 399, Sec. 3 - Chapter 218, Section 71 to 73
Repealed, 1922, 399, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Monthly installments - Chapter 218, Section 74
Salaries of justices and special justices appointed to district courts shall be paid in monthly installments by the commonwealth.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec. 224 - Chapter 218, Section 75 75A
Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Salaries of assistant clerks of Boston municipal court department - Chapter 218, Section 75B
The salaries of the first assistant clerks of the central division of the Boston municipal court department and the first assistant clerk designated in charge...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec. 224 - Chapter 218, Section 76 76A
Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1955, 741, Sec. 1A - Chapter 218, Section 77
Repealed, 1955, 741, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec. 224 - Chapter 218, Section 77A 77B
Repealed, 1978, 478, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1975, 863, Sec. 6 - Chapter 218, Section 78
Repealed, 1975, 863, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Salaries of clerks - Chapter 218, Section 79
The salaries of the clerks of the district court department shall be 81.57 per cent of the salary of the chief justice of said department...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Compensation of assistant clerks; practice of law - Chapter 218, Section 80
The salaries of the first assistant clerks of the district court divisions as designated pursuant to section ten shall be eighty-three and one-half percent of...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Boston municipal court department; salaries of secretary and assistant secretary to justices - Chapter 218, Section 80A
The secretary and assistant secretary to the justices of the Boston municipal court department shall receive from the commonwealth in full for all services performed...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Traveling expenses - Chapter 218, Section 81
A justice of a division of the district court department upon certificate of the chief justice for the district court department shall quarterly be reimbursed...
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1956, 738, Sec. 8 - Chapter 218, Section 82
Repealed, 1956, 738, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1969, 867, Sec. 2 - Chapter 218, Section 82A
Repealed, 1969, 867, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Repealed, 1931, 301, Sec. 36 - Chapter 218, Section 83
Repealed, 1931, 301, Sec.
- Massachusetts General Laws - Computation of compensation - Chapter 218, Section 84
Justices and clerks whose salaries are fixed in this chapter shall be paid at the same rate for any part of a year, and in...
Last modified: September 11, 2015