Appeals Court

The Appeals Court is the Commonwealth's intermediate appellate court. The Appeals Court is a court of general appellate jurisdiction, which means that the justices review decisions that the trial judges from the several Departments of the Trial Court have already made in many different kinds of cases. The Appeals Court also has jurisdiction over appeals from final decisions of three State agencies: the Appellate Tax Board, the Industrial Accident Board and the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board. The Appeals Court consists of a chief justice and twenty-four associate justices.

The Clerk’s Office has published a “Guide to Civil and Criminal Panel Appeals” as a downloadable PDF document.  The guide contains explanations about the appellate process, relevant rules, and links to legal resources.  Download the Guide to Appeals here.

The Appeals Court launched an optional Informal Brief Pilot Program in 2023 for cases entered on the court’s “panel” docket, for decision by a panel of Justices.  The program permits self-represented (“pro se”) parties to file an “informal” brief instead of a formal brief that strictly complies with the Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure, which is what the Appeals Court typically requires.  This pilot does not apply in the single justice session of the Appeals Court, or to attorneys, whether they are representing themselves or responding to an informal brief.

An informal brief differs from a formal brief in that it does not need a table of contents, table of authorities, corporate disclosure statement, summary of argument, or addendum, or need to comply with the standard rules regarding margins, font, and the certificate of compliance.  An informal brief does, however, still need to comply with the rules about impounded and confidential information.

To file an informal brief, please visit the Informal Brief Pilot webpage here.  Guidance and forms for the informal brief of the appellant, appellee, and appellant’s reply are provided, as are forms for an informal record appendix/supplemental appendix and an impounded record appendix. 

In February, 2025, Chief Justice Amy Lyn Blake and the Justices of the Appeals Court announced that the court is continuing the Informal Brief Pilot Program through June 2026, and will review the program again in 2026.  

Effective January 30, 2025, the Appeals Court has adopted a Revised Policy Regarding Motions for Remote Oral Argument.  Please click the preceding link to view or download the policy.

The en banc pilot has been replaced, also on a pilot basis, with a process by which the judges may deliberate and review a proposed published opinion with or without a second oral argument.  Any opinion that is changed through this process will contain a footnote explaining the process used and will include the names of all judges who participated.