On October 30th, NLG staff gathered in Brookline with sustainers and supporters of our Chapter for our annual fall event. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who was able to join us for an evening of camaraderie, food, drinks, and riveting conversation!
Category | Blog
Northeastern University School of Law: “Free Her” Campaign Against New Prison for Women
11/17/2025
On Wednesday, November 5, leaders from the MA FreeHer campaign, led by Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, came to speak with NUSL students about their work resisting a 350 million women’s prison project in MA and their concurrent efforts to free women through existing (clemency, parole, diversion) and … Read more>>
UMass Dartmouth: Community Care for SNAP Recipients
11/14/2025
Students at UMass Dartmouth worked to organize an emergency food drive in response to the Trump Administration’s decision to withhold funding for SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) at the beginning of November amidst the government shutdown.
Beginning on November 1st, it was unclear whether Massachusetts would be receiving all, some, or none of the nearly $240 Million/Month that our state needs … Read more>>
New England Law School: “Free Her” Campaign Against New Prison for Women
11/14/2025
New England Law | Boston recently welcomed volunteers from Families for Justice as Healing (FJAH), along with Fulbright Scholar and CORI initiative director Professor David Siegel and Professor Eliot Tracz, Clemency Advisor to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, for a panel discussion on prison abolition and criminal justice reform.
Families for Justice as Healing is a Roxbury-based, statewide organization led by … Read more>>
Muslim Commission
11/14/2025
On Oct. 29, 2025, Mark Stern testified at the State House on behalf of the NLG in support of a bill to create a first-in-the-nation Muslim commission. Mark joined legislators, educators, faith leaders, students, and advocates, all of whom called for stronger representation, protections, and recognition for Massachusetts Muslims.
The bill was previously filed by Sen. Jamie Eldridge and … Read more>>
What Does “Free Tibet” Actually Mean and Should Progressives Be Advocating It?
11/12/2025
Mark Stern
Tibet, known as Xizang, has a long history of being both part of China and semi-autonomous until 1959. For short periods of time it was entirely independent. Until 1959 Tibet was a theocratic state ruled by the Dalai Lamas, with its own unique government, religion, language, laws, and customs. Tibet was a theocratic state ruled by the Dalai … Read more>>
NLG Happy Hour, October 2025
11/12/2025
On October 16th, a number of NLG law students, legal workers, and lawyers gathered together to share appetizers and beverages with old and new fellow Guilders.… Read more>>
As Time Goes By
10/15/2025
Carlo P. Belloli, MCI-Norfolk
And the days and weeks just fly
I sit in my room and I just cry
But the truth is the truth
And no matter how it seems
I’m lost in loneliness and indigo day dreams.
And it all just seems
So very unreal
Cause no one really knows exactly how I feel
But my hope … Read more>>
Life
10/15/2025
Howard B. Brown, Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center
Life is here to be wisely used,
Not wasted, nor heedlessly abused.
Life is here to be filled with love,
Given freely like the flight of a dove.
Life is here to be filled with joy,
Not discarded like a broken toy.
Life is here to be for helping others,
This we learn from … Read more>>
Synthetic Drugs in Prison
10/15/2025
Stanley Donald, MCI-Norfolk
In prison, you cannot call 911, but you can bang on the cell door until someone hears your cries for help. An inmate has overdosed on synthetic drugs that made him think the devil is chasing him, so he screams, “Help me, somebody help me!” Afraid to get involved, we stand by and watch the inmate swing … Read more>>
The Culture of Punishment Within Massachusetts Department of Correction
10/15/2025
William J. Duclos, MCI-Norfolk
The Norfolk Inmate Council (NIC) has made several appeals to the Department of Correction (DOC) and its administrators without success for a treatment model within the DOC for Substance Use Disorders in relation to K-2 addiction. However, this falls on deaf ears.
When a prisoner self admits their Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and seeks treatment and … Read more>>
House Bill 4125: An Act to Improve Food Safety & Quality In Department of Correction Facilities
10/15/2025
Danny Holland, MCI-Norfolk
The Food Service Policy, 103 DOC 760, requires that Food Service Directors follow dietitian approved menus and corresponding recipes. However, THEY DO NOT! The dietitian approves specific foods for the nutritional values – sodium and cholesterol, vitamins fats, etc. Food Services routinely substitute the approved foods with outdated, unhealthy bulk purchases, which usually contain up to 10 … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Starbucks Workers Hold The Line! (8/15/2022)
08/15/2022
In response to corporate union-busting attempts, Starbucks workers from 874 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston went on strike over three weeks ago. It is the longest running strike in Starbucks history. Their efforts were joined by other Starbucks stores in Massachusetts. The Coolidge Corner, Cleveland Circle, Watertown, and Worcester stores picketed, and the Gardner and Reading stores held sip-ins.
Kylah Clay, … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Post Dobbs Action Plan Meeting (8/15/2022)
08/15/2022
Recently, staff and members of NLG chapters (Mass, Idaho, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Denver, and Pittsburgh) joined an online meeting to discuss ways chapters across the country can collaborate to address the numerous legal concerns following the Dobbs decision.
The conversation largely focused on three key points: access to representation, legal education and potential avenues to contest the legal legitimacy of … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – NLG Mass Abortion Justice Task Force (8/15/2022)
08/15/2022
NLG-Mass Abortion Justice Task Force
NLG-Mass Abortion Justice Task Force is revamping NLG-Mass’ former Reproductive Rights Clinic in light of the Dobbs decision and the numerous legal concerns that have resulted. The goal of the Task Force is to uncover the most pressing legal concerns and to address those concerns through a legal clinic/training offered to groups … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Street Law Clinic and Mass Defense Committee Update (8/15/2022)
08/15/2022
Our Legal Observers have been hard at work providing support at post Dobbs protests, Black Lives Matter and at the picket lines where Starbucks employees continue to stand for their rights even as they have been faced with mounting police pressure. Click Here to get a copy of the report.
Below are photos of our Legal Observers at the Black … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Abortion Access in Massachusetts – Interview with Margaret Batten (7/18/2022)
07/18/2022
Abortion Access in Massachusetts:
Conversation with Margaret Batten, Board Member of
Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund
We had the pleasure of speaking with Margaret Batten from the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund (EMA) to discuss the impacts of the Dobbs decision, next steps, and how the NLG-Mass Chapter can best support those advocating for abortion access.
The conversation started with an … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Abortion Access Resources (7/18/2022)
07/18/2022
Massachusetts Abortion Access Organizations
For a PDF Version of the listed resources below, CLICK HERE
National Lawyers Guild Mass Chapter www.nlgmass.org NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/state/massachusetts/ Eastern Mass Abortion Fund www.emafund.org Abortion Rights Fund of Western Mass www.arfwm.org Jane Fund of Central Mass www.janefund.org Boston Abortion Support Collective https://www.bostondoulaproject.org/ ACLU Massachusetts www.aclum.org Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Mass www.plannedparenthoodaction.org Reproductive Equity … Read more>>Mass Dissent – The “Reagan Court” Goes Rogue – Op-ed (7/18/2022)
07/18/2022
The “Reagan Court” Goes Rogue
How did we arrive at the historical inflection point where our society is being remade, brick by brick, by a cadre of Supreme Court judges intent on returning us to a time before womens’ rights, before civil rights, indeed before separation of church and state? Where women are viewed as mere reproductive vessels; where the … Read more>>
NLG Summer Retreat 2022!
07/18/2022
We are excited to announce that the NLG-Mass summer retreats are returning to form this year. As per usual, the summer retreat is a great way to reconnect with fellow members, to share what you’ve been up to since we last gathered and to discuss the future efforts and directions that the chapter will head in moving forward.
So, please … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Litigation Committee Updates (6/15/2022)
06/15/2022
The Committee continues to grapple with BPD BRIC straight pride public records requests:
They received a large quantity of supposedly unredacted records from BPD, but a considerable amount of redactions remain. The Committee is likely to file a motion to compel release of records. Without access to proper information, it’s difficult to identify potential plaintiffs within the statute of limitations.… Read more>>Mass Dissent – Member Profiles: Grace Ross (6/15/2022)
06/15/2022
“…the resistance is pretty profound.” – Grace Ross
We recently had the opportunity to meet with Grace Ross to discuss her work with the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL).
Grace discussed the development of the alliance, goals they started with and how they have evolved, challenges they continue to face, and ways people can help. She spoke to … Read more>>
Mass Dissent – Annual Dinner Student Honoree Interviews (6/15/2022)
06/15/2022
We sat down with Annie Guare, Joan Steffen and Kylah Clay, this year’s Annual Dinner Student Award winners, to give each honoree an opportunity to talk a little bit about themselves. They shared what inspired their law school journey, what they planned to do post graduation and how the Guild has influenced their legal careers thus far. Our interviews wrapped … Read more>>
