Supreme Judicial Court Rules  Supreme Judicial Court seventh updated order regarding court operations under the exigent circumstances created by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

The Seventh Updated Order Regarding Court Operations Under the Exigent Circumstances Created by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic, issued July 1, 2021, effective July 12, 2021, and as amended by order issued and effective January 24, 2022 (Seventh Updated Order), is hereby rescinded effective January 1, 2024, except that the provisions of paragraph 6 (Jury Trials) shall continue to apply in trials where the jury is empaneled prior to January 1, 2024.

On and after January 1, 2024, the time periods of general continuances effectuated by the Seventh Updated Order and Prior SJC Orders, as that term is defined in the Seventh Updated Order, shall continue to be excluded from speedy trial computations under Mass. R. Crim. P. 36.

Phase 3 of the resumption of jury trials in Massachusetts state courts will end on July 9, 2021.  Thereafter there will be no further COVID-19-related limitations or restrictions on where¹ and how jury trials are conducted, except as provided in this Order, including in paragraph 2 above, or in a further order of the SJC.  As more jury trials resume, priority should continue to be given to trials in criminal and youthful offender cases and sexually dangerous person cases under G.L. c. 123A where, as applicable, the defendant, the juvenile, the person who filed the petition pursuant to G.L. c. 123A, § 9, or the person named in the petition filed pursuant to G.L. c. 123A, § 12 is in custody.
   
Notwithstanding any rule to the contrary, until further order of the SJC:

• (a) criminal cases in the Superior Court and youthful offender cases in Juvenile Court that typically would be tried to juries of twelve may be tried to juries of six with the consent of the defendant(s) or juvenile(s), in which case each defendant or juvenile will be limited to four peremptory challenges and the Commonwealth to as many challenges as equal the whole number to which all the defendants or juveniles in the case are entitled, regardless of whether additional jurors are empaneled;
• (b) civil cases in the Superior Court and Housing Court that typically would be tried to juries of twelve, except sexually dangerous person cases under G.L. c. 123A, shall be tried to juries of six, with or without the consent of the parties, and each party will be limited to four peremptory challenges, regardless of whether additional jurors are empaneled;
• (c) sexually dangerous person cases under G.L. c. 123A that typically would be tried to juries of twelve may be tried to juries of six with the consent of all parties, in which case each party will be limited to four peremptory challenges, regardless of whether additional jurors are empaneled;²
• (d) in civil cases in the District Court and Boston Municipal Court, each party will be limited to two peremptory challenges, regardless of whether additional jurors are empaneled; and
• (e) in criminal cases in the District Court and Boston Municipal Court and delinquency cases in the Juvenile Court, each defendant or juvenile will be limited to two peremptory challenges and the Commonwealth to as many challenges as equal the whole number to which all the defendants or juveniles in the case are entitled.