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THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT IS SOLICITING AMICUS BRIEFS OR MEMORANDA FROM INTERESTED PARTIES IN THE FOLLOWING MATTER PENDING BEFORE THE COURT

ARGUMENT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 2011
AMICUS SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE
THE FIRST DAY OF THE SITTING IN WHICH THE CASE IS SCHEDULED FOR ARGUMENT

 SJC-10969
Commonwealth v. Felix Portillo

Whether the trial judge properly excluded from evidence a five year old Spanish language audiotape of a police-conducted post-arrest interrogation of the defendant as well as testimony of the Spanish speaking police officers regarding the interrogation, refreshed by listening to the tape as there were no contemporaneous notes; whether the judge correctly ruled that the burden was on the Commonwealth to have the recording translated and provided to the defendant, which the Commonwealth had failed to do.

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.

July 15, 2011