Legal Opinion
Commonwealth v. Wolcott
Massachusetts Appeals Court
Decided August 25, 2010No. 08-P-1047PublishedCited by 8 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtKatzmann, J.
The defendant, Donna Wolcott, appeals her convictions by a Superior Court jury for solicitation to commit a felony (murder), and two violations of abuse prevention orders. Informed by recent United States Supreme Court and Supreme Judicial Court decisions not available to the careful Superior Court judge, we reverse the order denying the motion for new trial on the grounds that an unconstitutional closure of the courtroom took place. In light of the remand to Superior Court, we address and uphold the judge’s solicitation instruction, and various evidentiary rulings.
Background. We summarize…
2Cases cited47 opinions
- Miranda v. ArizonaSupreme Court of the United States · 1966
- United States v. United States Gypsum Co.Supreme Court of the United States · 1948
- In Re OliverSupreme Court of the United States · 1948
- Waller v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 1984
- Presley v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 2010
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3Cited by8 opinions
- Commonwealth v. PughMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2012
- Commonwealth v. FernandesMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 2018
- Commonwealth v. GrantMassachusetts Appeals Court · 2010
- Commonwealth v. LavoieMassachusetts Appeals Court · 2011
- People v. NelsonCalifornia Court of Appeal · 2015
3 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.