Amicus Announcement

THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT IS SOLICITING AMICUS BRIEFS OR MEMORANDA FROM INTERESTED PARTIES IN THE FOLLOWING MATTER PENDING BEFORE THE COURT
ARGUMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 2007

AMICUS SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE JUNE 4, 2007.

SJC-09929
Commonwealth v. William Bostock

    Whether the motion judge erred: in concluding that the rule in Commonwealth v. Gonsalves, 429 Mass. 658 (1999) -- that police officers may not order a person out of a vehicle without a reasonable fear for their own safety or for the safety of others -- applied regardless whether the vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation or was approached to investigate a more serious crime; and in suppressing evidence seized after the defendant was ordered to get out of a parked truck in which he was sitting in circumstances in which there was no evidence of a safety concern on the part of police officers.

    Interested parties may file their briefs in the Office of the Clerk for the Commonwealth, John Adams Courthouse, Suite 1-400, Pemberton Square, Boston MA 02108-1724 (Telephone 617-557-1020). Parties filing amicus briefs are expected to comply with the requirements of Rules 17, 19 and 20 of Mass. Rules of Appellate Procedure. Amicus briefs, to assist the court, should focus on the ramifications of a decision and not solely on the interests of the parties filing such briefs.

Susan Melen, Clerk

February 22, 2007