Massachusetts Law

A federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision to strike down a Massachusetts law that bars the state from doing business with companies that trade with Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

When Mitt Romney kicks off the final weekend of the presidential campaign with a rally in West Chester, Ohio, on Friday evening, it will be with a couple of old nemeses at his side. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, will be on the stage, along with more than 100 other elected officials. Most of Romney's primary-season antagonists have rallied around the Republican nominee during the general election campaign, though libertarian maverick Ron Paul has gone his own way and Rep. Michele Bachmann has been too tied up with a surprisingly close reelection bid in Minnesota to offer as much support as she might.

Massachusetts on Wednesday will become the first U.S. state to ban surgery that devocalizes dogs and cats, which many animal rights advocates see as a cruel and unnecessary procedure. Under the new law, anyone in the state who cuts or removes an animal's vocal chords for nonmedical reasons may be punished by fines and up to five years in prison. The law, signed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in April, is dubbed Logan's Law after a dog that underwent the controversial surgery but was later abandoned.

While President Obama celebrated a victory on policy, the Obama campaign is treating the Supreme Court's decision on healthcare reform as another chance to raise questions about Mitt Romney's record and his plans for the country and calling his response to the ruling a "missed opportunity. " Though the high court's morning announcement surely set off celebration behind the scenes in the campaign's Chicago headquarters, its first public comment was light on self-congratulation and instead centered squarely on the Republican nominee.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy didn't live to see his last public wish granted. Last week, during what turned out to be his final days, Kennedy sent a letter to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Democratic leaders of the state Legislature, asking that the state law for choosing a successor be amended. Kennedy hoped to have Patrick granted the power to choose an interim senator until a special election could be held. Currently, the only process for replacing a senator in Massachusetts is through a special election, which could take up to five months.

The European Commission has filed a request with the World Trade Organization for a formal consultation with the United States to discuss concerns that a Massachusetts law designed to penalize companies doing business in Myanmar violates the global trade treaty. The EC's move is the first step in the dispute resolution process of the WTO, which is based in Geneva. If the two sides fail to resolve the dispute in 60 days, the Europeans can ask the WTO to appoint a panel to investigate their claim.

What does the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have against Unilever's soaps and shampoos, and why do the White House, Burmese freedom fighters and the leaders of Western Europe care? The short answer is that the Britain-based Unilever does business in the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar, formerly Burma, and Massachusetts won't buy from companies active in that allegedly repressive country.

A federal judge has struck down a Massachusetts statute banning state purchases from companies doing business in troubled Myanmar, saying the law interferes with the federal government's power to regulate foreign affairs. The ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro, while binding only in Massachusetts, casts doubt over the legality of similar so-called selective-purchasing statutes elsewhere.

Prime Computer Inc., the target of a hostile tender offer from MAI Basic Four Inc. of Tustin, said it will not immediately seek protection under a Massachusetts anti-takeover law. MAI has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have Massachusetts takeover laws declared unconstitutional. The suit was filed in connection with MAI's $20-a-share, or $970-million, offer for the computer maker based in Natick, Mass.

Jamie McCourt earned a law degree, made Law Review, received an MBA and worked as general counsel for a real estate company. But she also signed one of the most important documents of her life without reading it, she says: the agreement that gave her husband sole ownership of the couple's prized possession, the Dodgers. On Monday, the sixth day of the bitter divorce trial of Jamie and Frank McCourt — one that could impact ownership of Los Angeles' cherished Major League Baseball club — Jamie was steadfast in her insistence that she didn't realize what the contract meant if they were to split up. Frank's attorney, Steve Susman, read back part of Jamie's deposition in which she said about the agreement, "I still don't understand it as I sit here today.

Mitt Romney kept the pressure on rival Rick Santorum as he campaigned across Michigan Saturday, telling audiences that the former Pennsylvania Senator could not be relied on to stand for conservative principles. Speaking from notes at a gathering of Americans for Prosperity, a group affiliated with the "tea party," hours after Santorum delivered a blistering critique of his record, Romney focused on outlining his credentials as a conservative before the group, which met him with a polite but mild reception.

Days before a pair of crucial primaries, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum clashed Wednesday night in a testy debate that magnified small differences and underscored the big stakes in their neck-and-neck presidential fight. The former Massachusetts governor was aggressive from the start, challenging Santorum's claims of fiscal prudence. Romney criticized Santorum for voting to raise the debt ceiling five times and repeatedly seeking earmarks — money that lawmakers steer to specific home-state projects.

Mitt Romney derided President Obama's national healthcare law as a federal "power grab" Thursday while defending the "more modest" state plan it was modeled after, beginning an effort to deal with his biggest vulnerability ahead of the Republican primary campaign. In his first major speech since announcing the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, Romney said he would not apologize for the Massachusetts law he signed as governor in 2006, even though some have said that doing so would be politically advantageous.

Jamie McCourt earned a law degree, made Law Review, received an MBA and worked as general counsel for a real estate company. But she also signed one of the most important documents of her life without reading it, she says: the agreement that gave her husband sole ownership of the couple's prized possession, the Dodgers. On Monday, the sixth day of the bitter divorce trial of Jamie and Frank McCourt — one that could impact ownership of Los Angeles' cherished Major League Baseball club — Jamie was steadfast in her insistence that she didn't realize what the contract meant if they were to split up. Frank's attorney, Steve Susman, read back part of Jamie's deposition in which she said about the agreement, "I still don't understand it as I sit here today.

Massachusetts on Wednesday will become the first U.S. state to ban surgery that devocalizes dogs and cats, which many animal rights advocates see as a cruel and unnecessary procedure. Under the new law, anyone in the state who cuts or removes an animal's vocal chords for nonmedical reasons may be punished by fines and up to five years in prison. The law, signed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in April, is dubbed Logan's Law after a dog that underwent the controversial surgery but was later abandoned.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy didn't live to see his last public wish granted. Last week, during what turned out to be his final days, Kennedy sent a letter to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Democratic leaders of the state Legislature, asking that the state law for choosing a successor be amended. Kennedy hoped to have Patrick granted the power to choose an interim senator until a special election could be held. Currently, the only process for replacing a senator in Massachusetts is through a special election, which could take up to five months.

The bride joined the groom under the tent at a park as Francis X. Coakley began the ceremony. "We've come here today to witness and to celebrate and give our blessing to the marriage of . . . " He paused. It sounded as if he had forgotten the groom's name. "John!" guests shouted. Coakley smiled. He didn't have to be reminded. The groom was his son. The hesitation was understandable. Coakley, a retired telephone company employee from Ocean Township, N.J.

Mitt Romney kept the pressure on rival Rick Santorum as he campaigned across Michigan Saturday, telling audiences that the former Pennsylvania Senator could not be relied on to stand for conservative principles. Speaking from notes at a gathering of Americans for Prosperity, a group affiliated with the "tea party," hours after Santorum delivered a blistering critique of his record, Romney focused on outlining his credentials as a conservative before the group, which met him with a polite but mild reception.

A federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision to strike down a Massachusetts law that bars the state from doing business with companies that trade with Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

The founder of Irvine-based TCI Corp. denies his investment firm broke any laws in Massachusetts by teaching people how to analyze the stock market. Regulators with the Massachusetts Securities Division asked the secretary of state's office to stop TCI from soliciting customers in Massachusetts, and impose fines for allegedly using deceptive marketing in newspapers and over the Internet.