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Foreign-Language Interrogations and Impeachment: Commonwealth v. Figueroa

On August 7, 2026, the Appeals Court decided Commonwealth v. Figueroa, No. 25-P-1027 (Mass. App. Ct. Aug. 7, 2026), a case about the use of a defendant’s statements from a police interrogation conducted in a language other than English. The defendant, whose first language is Spanish, was questioned in Spanish, and the Commonwealth never produced…

When a Police Chase Becomes a Seizure: Commonwealth v. Palmer

On August 10, 2026, the Supreme Judicial Court decided Commonwealth v. Palmer, SJC-13873 (Mass. Aug. 10, 2026), a case that turns on two questions that decide most street-stop suppression motions: at what moment the police seize a person who runs from them, and whether the police had reasonable suspicion at that moment. The Court held…

How Long Can Police Hold Your Phone Before a Warrant? Solis and Diaz

On August 12, 2026, the Supreme Judicial Court decided two cases together, Commonwealth v. Solis, SJC-13823, and Commonwealth v. Diaz, SJC-13835 (Mass. Aug. 12, 2026), and answered a question that recurs in nearly every case involving a cell phone: how long may the police keep a lawfully seized phone before they apply for a warrant…