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Massachusetts Court System
Juvenile Court
Notice Inviting Comment on Amendment to Juvenile Court Rules for the Care and Protection of Children

This page, Notice Inviting Comment on Amendment to Juvenile Court Rules for the Care and Protection of Children, is offered by
Juvenile Court

Notice Inviting Comment on Amendment to Juvenile Court Rules for the Care and Protection of Children

All comments must be received on or before Thursday, November 18, 2026.

The Juvenile Court solicits comments on a proposed amendment to the Juvenile Court Rules for the Care and Protection of Children. The proposal amends Rule 5: Process. The amendment updates Rule 5 to comply with recently enacted amendments to G.L. c. 119, § 24 regarding publication and G.L. 209C, § 25 regarding the Juvenile Court’s jurisdiction over de facto parentage proceedings.

Public comments may be sent via email to admin-jccallctr@jud.state.ma.us. Comments may also be mailed to Anne Marie Ritchie, Assistant Deputy Court Administrator-Chief Legal Counsel, Administrative Office of the Juvenile Court, 1 Center Plaza, 7^th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.

All comments must be received on or before Thursday, November 18, 2026.

Text of proposed amendment (clean and redline versions)

Proposed Amendment to Rule 5 of the Juvenile Court Rules for the Care and Protection of Children (Clean version), Open PDF file, 71.72 KB (English, PDF 71.72 KB)
Proposed Amendment to Rule 5 of the Juvenile Court Rules for the Care and Protection of Children (Redline version), Open PDF file, 73.01 KB (English, PDF 73.01 KB)

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