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.
Proposed Amendments to SJC Rule 4:01 and 4:02 and the Rules of the Board of Bar Overseers
Comments due by: December 14, 2018
Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed Technical Amendments to Appeals Court Standing Orders and Repeal of the Appeals Court Standing Order Concerning Conferences in Civil Appeals
Comments due by: January 31, 2019
Proposed Amendment to Rule 12 of the Mass. Rules of Criminal Procedure
Comments due by: February 28, 2019
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.
- Amendments to Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:15
- Effective: January 1, 2019
- Amendments to Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:16
Effective: January 1, 2019 - Amendments to Mass. Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 8.1 and 55.1
Effective: January 1, 2019 - Amendments to Mass. Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 81
Effective: January 1, 2019 - New Uniform Trial Court Rule on Limited Assistance Representation
Effective: February 1, 2019 - Boston Municipal Court Standing Order 1-10 Rescinded
Effective: February 1, 2019 - Superior Court Standing Order 2-17 Rescinded
Effective: February 1, 2019 - Amendments to the Mass. Rules of Appellate Procedure
Effective: March 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.