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NEW FIREARM SESSION OF THE LYNN DISTRICT COURT
District
Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly has issued an Order
Establishing a Firearm Session of the Lynn District Court.
Beginning on February 1, 2006, a dedicated session at
the Peabody District Court will be devoted exclusively
to hearing firearms cases that originate in the Lynn
District Court. The initiative is the result of ongoing
efforts in the District Court to implement time standards
and meaningful caseflow management and to maximize the
use of limited resources. Regional Administrative Judge
Robert A. Brennan and Lynn First Justice Michael C. Lauranzano
agreed to implement this pilot program in the District
Court after discussions with legal, public safety and
civic leaders in the greater Lynn community.
The
plan is expected to reduce the amount of time between the
arrest and disposition of cases involving defendants charged
with certain firearm-related offenses, including violations
based on charges of possession, control or distribution
of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm on a public way,
and discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. “Firearm
cases” initiated in the Lynn District Court will
be transferred immediately after arraignment to the firearm
session in Peabody. Peabody District Court will designate
Wednesdays for trial of firearms cases and Fridays for
related motion sessions. Pretrial hearings will occur within
45 days of arraignment and all firearms cases will be disposed
of within 120 days.
Any
pending probation matter or other pending case involving
a defendant charged with a firearm offense will be transferred
along with the firearm case from the Lynn District Court
to the Peabody District Court. Each transferred case will
retain its identity (and docket number) as a case of the
Lynn District Court. Following disposition, the transferred
cases will be returned for all purposes to the Lynn District
Court where any further proceedings, including probationary
matters and the resolution of companion cases, will take
place.
With
the exception of cases that are already scheduled for their
next court appearance in Lynn, any firearm case that is
currently on file with the Lynn District Court will be
subject to these new procedures and time standards.
By
moving cases through the court system more efficiently,
the new session will further the goals of increasing public
confidence and improving the allocation of resources.
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