About the 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.
Appeals Court YouTube Channel
Appeals Court oral arguments and other content are available on the Court's YouTube channel.
New: Guide to Appeals
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.
Informal Brief Pilot for Self-Represented (“Pro Se”) parties
The Appeals Court is launching an optional Informal Brief Pilot Program 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.
The pilot program is expected to operate during 2024, after which the Appeals Court will evaluate it.
First en banc rehearing under court's pilot program
In April 2023, the Appeals Court held its first-ever en banc rehearing, pursuant to the court's pilot program that, beginning in late 2022, temporarily replaced its protocol under Sciaba Constr. Corp. v. Boston, 35 Mass. App. Ct. 181, 181 n.2 (1993). The en banc rehearing was livestreamed to the court's YouTube channel and can be viewed here. (The case is 2022-P-0300, Ferreira v. Charland.)
Under the pilot, draft published and rescript opinions are circulated to the justices for review, after which any justice may call for a vote by the justices on whether to grant en banc review. En banc review is granted only upon a majority vote of the justices on the basis that (1) the draft panel decision would conflict with a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, or the Appeals Court and en banc review is necessary to maintain the uniformity of the court's decisions; or (2) the proceeding involves one or more questions of "exceptional importance."
If a majority of the justices vote in favor of en banc review, the parties are notified of the en banc rehearing date, the amount of time allotted for argument, and whether they are to submit supplemental briefs. The court may also solicit amicus briefs.
No party may request en banc review; such requests are not accepted.
En banc oral argument is conducted by remote videoconference platform (Zoom) and streamed for public access on the Appeals Court’s YouTube channel.
Policy on Motions for Remote Oral Argument in Panel Cases
Effective September 9, 2022, the Appeals Court has adopted a Policy Regarding Motions for Remote Oral Argument in Panel Cases. Please click the preceding link to view or download the policy.
Contact us
Phone
NOTE: The Clerk's Office does not respond to email inquiries. If you have questions concerning appellate procedure or a case, please call the telephone number above.
Address
One Pemberton Square, Room 1200
Boston, MA 02108
Most requested
Additional Information and Announcements
Appeals Court Public Operations Manual
The Appeals Court has prepared a public-facing version of its internal operations manual to provide greater transparency of its procedures and protocols. Please click the link for details and to download the manual.
Clerk's Guide to Electronic Briefs
The Appeals Court has posted a new Clerk's Guide to Electronic Briefs with step by step instructions and illustrations for how to assemble an electronic PDF brief and record appendix for submission through the Appeals Court's eFileMA system.
Appeals Court Summary Process (Eviction) Educational & Help Materials
Find new resources for tenants and landlords regarding summary process/eviction appeals.
Guide to Creating PDFs with Bookmarks and Internal Links
Although not required, the Appeals Court encourages all e-filed briefs and record appendices to contain bookmarks and internal links. The Appeals Court has posted a guide that explains the benefits of these features and how to add them to a brief and record appendix.
Important Information About Unemployment Benefits
If you are appealing your unemployment benefits decision, please see Appeal your unemployment benefits decision for information about how to request and proceed with an appeal, and for contact information for the Department of Unemployment Assistance Hearings Department and Board of Review. Please note that the Massachusetts Appeals Court does not have direct appellate jurisdiction over decisions of the Department of Unemployment Assistance.
"The Review" newsletter
The Review is the quarterly newsletter of the Appeals Court. Click the link above for the page containing each edition.
Register for the Appeals Court mailing list
Register for the Appeals Court mailing list (formerly known as the "listserv") to receive email updates from the Appeals Court and the Appeals Court's quarterly newsletter, The Review.
Amicus Briefs
The Appeals Court is currently soliciting amicus briefs. Click the link above to view amicus invitations.