By Representative Murphy of Burlington and Senator Baddour, joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4977) of Charles A. Murphy  and others relative to trial by jury for certain persons accused of sex offenses. The Judiciary.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Charles A. Murphy

Steven A. Baddour

Michael F. Rush

Robert L. Rice, Jr.

Jennifer M. Callahan

Geraldo Alicea

Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

John F. Quinn

Robert M. Koczera

Karyn E. Polito

Antonio F. D. Cabral

Harold P. Naughton, Jr.

William G. Greene, Jr.

Colleen M. Garry

John J. Binienda

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

Stephen R. Canessa

John D. Keenan

Denise Provost

Patricia A. Haddad

Jennifer L. Flanagan

Robert F. Fennell

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In the Year Two Thousand and Eight.

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An Act relative to protecting victims from sexually dangerous persons.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1: Chapter 123A: SECTION 14. of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking in line one of section 14 “The district attorney or the attorney general at the request of the district attorney may petition the court for a trial which shall be by jury unless affirmatively waived  by the person named in the petition” and inserting in line 1, “In any trial held pursuant to the provisions of this section, either the person named in the petition or the petitioning party may demand that the case be tried to a jury, and upon such demand, which shall be made in writing, the case shall be tried to a jury.”