Invitations to Comment
The court invites comments on the following new rules or proposed changes to existing rules. Invitations to comment that have expired are removed from the list.
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed Changes to Supreme Judicial Court and Board of Bar Overseers Rules Concerning the Processing of Bar Discipline Matters
Comments due by: March 16, 2020
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposal to Adopt Appeals Court Rule 32.0, Access to Electronic Case Information and Court Records
Comments due by: February 28, 2020
Notice Inviting Comment on Raising the Amount in Superior Court Summary Process Cases
Comments due by: February 21, 2020
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed Amendments to Superior Court Rule 61A, Motions for Post-Conviction Relief
Comments due by: February 1, 2020
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed Amendments to Superior Court Rule 73, Medical Malpractice Cases
Comments due by: February 1, 2020
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed Amendments to Mass. R. Civ. P. 51
Comments due by: Comment period extended to January 31, 2020
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed District Court Standing Order on Videoconferencing
Comments due by: January 6, 2020
Rule Changes
The following are recent notices of rule changes and the date when each rule change goes into effect. Rule changes are removed from this list after the effective date has passed. Please refer to the Court's online listing of Rules of Court and Standing Orders to view updated rules and dates when rules were amended.
Amendment to Mass. Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 55 (b)(4)
Effective: March 15, 2020
Amendment to Superior Court Standing Order 5-81: Uniform procedures regarding petitions for abortion authorization under G.L. c.112, § 12S ("Mary Moe" petitions)
Effective: February 1, 2020
Sixth Amended Superior Court Standing Order 1-88: Time standards
Effective: February 1, 2020
Superior Court Standing Order 1-20: Videoconferencing of court events
Effective: February 1, 2020
Housing Court Standing Order 1-20: Implementation of mandatory electronic filing for attorneys in summary process and small claims cases in the Housing Court Department
Effective: January 27, 2020
Supreme Judicial Court Order Regarding Amount-in-Controversy Requirement Under G.L. c. 218, s. 19 and G.L. c.212, s. 3
Effective: January 1, 2020
Amendments to Land Court Standing Order 2-18
Effective: December 16, 2019
Amendments to District Court Standing Order 4-15
Effective: December 1, 2019
Amendments to Rule 30 of the Supplemental Rules of the Probate & Family Court
Effective: November 1, 2019
Amendments to Mass. Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 65.1
Effective: November 1, 2019
A listing of Rules of Court and Standing Orders are available on the court's website. Please note that not all Massachusetts Rules of Court are available online. Efforts have been taken to ensure accuracy in all rules on the court's website, but if there are discrepancies between the electronic versions of the rules found on the website and the official print versions that appear in a volume such as Massachusetts Reports, the print version should be considered authoritative.