Overview

• A judge in Boston Municipal Court dismissed more than 120 criminal cases this week under the Lavallee protocol after defendants went over the 45-day deadline without counsel.
• Suffolk County prosecutors warn the dismissals pose a continuing public safety risk and say they will refile most of the dropped charges.
• The fiscal 2026 budget excluded the pay raises bar advocates sought, keeping the $65 hourly rate unchanged and extending the eight-week work stoppage.
• The Committee for Public Counsel Services has filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Judicial Court to apply Lavallee procedures to juvenile courts amid 101 unrepresented youths in six counties.
• Governor Healey and legislative leaders remain in talks over funding, with further release hearings and dismissal deadlines scheduled in the coming weeks.