Motor Vehicle Stops: What Judges Need to Know

Program Faculty:

James F. Comerford, Esq., Quincy District Court
Author, Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stops Benchbook

District Court Judge Cathleen E. Campbell
Editorial Committee, Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stops Benchbook

District Court Judge Kevin J. O’Dea
Editorial Committee, Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stops Benchbook

Superior Court Judge William F. Sullivan
Editorial Committee, Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stops Benchbook

Program Description:

Every day in the Commonwealth, motions are entertained in which, as a result of a motor vehicle stop, search, or seizure, defendants seek to have suppressed evidence gathered from the search of a vehicle. The law that guides judges in the evaluation of the merits of the motion is expansive and reflects the highly factual circumstances that surround state action.

To coincide with the release of the 2016 edition of the Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stops Benchbook, the author and members of the Editorial Committee will provide a survey of substantive law, as well as probe several specific areas that frequently arise in the courtroom. The many facets of motor vehicle stops will be explored, such as:

• Expectation of Privacy
• Stop/Activation of Lights
• Canine Sniff Community Caretaking
• Emergency
• Extraterritorial Stop/Arrest
• Stop v. Arrest
• Approach and Contact
• Exit Order
• Threshold Inquiry
• Interior Protective Search
• Consent
• Warrants
• Warrantless Search
• Search Incident to Arrest
• Inventory Search
• Marijuana Cases

This program will serve as an indispensable primer for new judges and a “nuts and bolts” review for experienced judges.

**A complimentary copy of the Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stops Benchbook (2016) will be distributed to judges who attend.

Please note: This program is designed for Massachusetts judges. To register for the Social Law Library’s Motor Vehicle Stops program for attorneys on 5/24/16, please contact the SLL directly.