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| Good morning. Jury selection is nearly wrapped in one of the most wrenching trials this state has seen in years, the House just voted to loosen abortion restrictions after 24 weeks, and lawmakers are debating whether to make Massachusetts a little more fun, permanently. Let's get into it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Lead
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Opening statements loom in the Lindsay Clancy trial — and the jury has been chosen through an unusually raw process Seventeen of eighteen jurors are seated in Plymouth Superior Court for the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Duxbury mother charged with strangling her three children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan — in January 2023. Opening statements are expected Friday, following a third day of jury selection that has been notable for how personal and clinical it's gotten: prospective jurors were asked directly whether they or a family member had been diagnosed with postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety, and whether they could fairly weigh an insanity defense. This matters beyond the tragedy itself. Clancy's defense hinges on the argument that she was in the grip of severe postpartum psychosis — hearing voices, attempting suicide by jumping from a second-story window, and slashing her own neck and wrists — when she killed her children while her husband was out getting takeout. She remains paralyzed from the waist down and appears in court in a wheelchair. How this jury, and eventually the public, receives that defense could shape how Massachusetts — and the country — talks about postpartum mental illness and the legal system's capacity to handle it. It's not hyperbole to say this case could become a reference point the way other high-profile insanity defenses have. Expect an emotional few weeks. Several women have already left the courtroom in tears just from the jury questioning. Testimony starts Friday. |
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What Else You Should Know
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The House just voted to loosen the state's abortion law. Massachusetts lawmakers passed a bill 119-33 that would let physicians perform abortions after 24 weeks based on their own professional judgment, not just in narrowly defined emergency cases. Rep. Michael Day said the change was partly driven by cases involving trafficking victims who couldn't access care in time under current law. Mass General Brigham and other health systems backed the bill, which now heads to the Senate. WBUR → Stoughton's police chief says she's being pushed out over her gender. Chief Donna McNamara — who led the department through the fallout of the Sandra Birchmore scandal — found out via press release that Town Manager Thomas Calter had installed a deputy as acting chief without telling her. Her lawyer says McNamara filed a harassment complaint accusing Calter of "misogynistic words and actions" and trying to force out the department's first female chief without cause. Calter isn't commenting. This one's going to get uglier before it gets resolved. Boston Globe → Healey tries again on her Parole Board pick. After the Governor's Council rejected her last nominee for being too pro-prosecution, Governor Maura Healey nominated... another former prosecutor. Kaitlyn O'Leary, currently the Parole Board's deputy general counsel, previously prosecuted homicides and sexual assault cases in Bristol and Plymouth counties. Her confirmation hearing is set for August 12 — worth watching whether the Council's objections were really about her résumé or something else. Boston Globe → The state's wealthy aren't fleeing — they're paying. New Department of Revenue numbers show the "millionaire's tax" surtax brought in $3.38 billion last fiscal year, up 13% and nearly triple original projections. Advocates from the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition say it's proof the predicted exodus of high earners never materialized. The money funds free school meals, free community college, and free regional transit — programs that just got a lot harder to argue against defunding. CommonWealth Beacon → Federal election monitors are coming to Massachusetts this fall. The Trump DOJ announced it's sending monitors to six states, including Massachusetts, for the upcoming primaries — part of a broader push tied to unsubstantiated claims about noncitizen voting. Experts say the practice itself is routine, but voters and poll workers should understand what monitors can and can't do under the law before Election Day confusion sets in. Boston.com → A former Miss Hall's headmaster is indicted over abuse she allegedly ignored. Jeannie Norris, who ran the elite Pittsfield girls' school from 1996 to 2012, is charged with reckless endangerment for allegedly sitting on "numerous reports" about teacher Matthew Rutledge's inappropriate conduct with students. Rutledge, who taught at the school for over three decades, faces separate rape charges from two former students. Boston.com → |
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Worth Your Attention
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The state Senate votes today on an economic development bill that includes a "fun agenda" of amendments to make pandemic-era rules — later last calls, outdoor drinking districts — permanent before they expire July 31. WBUR → Kaitlyn O'Leary's Parole Board confirmation hearing before the Governor's Council is scheduled for August 12. Boston Globe → Opening statements in the Lindsay Clancy trial are expected Friday in Plymouth Superior Court. WBZ/CBS Boston → |
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FY2027 Budget Tracker
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Current stage: Governor signs budget
Governor's Budget (H2) — filed House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference Conference Budget (H5555) — signed
📋 No notable actions in the last few days. |
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💰 Money Watch
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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions
Big Spending This Week
Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Friday, July 24, 12:00 PM Joint Committee on Housing (1 bills) Topic: Late File Legislation III Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
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New on the Ballot
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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: PACs
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| The Mass Brief publishes every morning. See you tomorrow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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