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Appeals – Stay
Where (1) a complaint was filed challenging an executive order, (2) a U.S. District Court judge enjoined most of the defendants from implementing certain provisions of the executive order and (3) the federal defendants and 12 states that intervened in the case in support of the executive order have now filed separate motions seeking a stay of the injunction pending appeal, their motions should be [...]
Appeals – Stay
Where a U.S. District Court judge vacated actions taken by officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State to implement a presidential proclamation requiring that a $100,000 payment accompany all H-1B visa petitions, the defendants’ emergency motion for a stay pending appeal should be denied because they have not made a “strong showing” that they are li[...]
Social services – Disability
Where an administrative law judge denied a plaintiff’s application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, that decision should be affirmed despite the plaintiff’s contention that ALJ erred by giving less weight to the opinion of her treating physician than the opinions of two state-agency medical consultants who did not personally examine her.
Administrative – Grants – Termination
Where plaintiffs have requested a declaratory judgment regarding the “Termination Clause” in 2 C.F.R. §200.340, that request should be granted because the clause does not permit agencies to terminate grants based on program goals and agency priorities identified after grants were awarded.
Judge blocks Trump administration from stripping immigrants of work permits
A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants who have Temporary Protected Status of their ability to work in the United States.
Judge: Trump administration cannot revoke grants that conflict with its priorities
A federal judge ruled the Trump administration cannot use an OMB regulation to terminate awarded federal grants based on changing presidential priorities.
Judge Rya Zobel more than just a trailblazer, members of bar say
Rya W. Zobel, Massachusetts' first female federal judge, is remembered for her fairness, landmark rulings, mentorship and lasting impact on the law.
The Most Important Opinions, January – June 2026
This special feature contains summaries of hundreds of the most notable opinions that were published in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in the first half of 2026.
Administrative – Importation of dogs – Age requirement
Where organizations that rescue stray puppies on Caribbean islands and place them with adoptive families in the United States brought suit challenging a regulation issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring that all dogs presented for admission into the United States be at least six (6) months old, a U.S. District Court judgment rejecting the challenge should be affirmed be[...]
Administrative – Military discharge – PTSD
Where a U.S. District Court judge upheld a decision by the Board for Correction of Naval Records denying a plaintiff’s application in 2022 to upgrade his 1986 discharge from the Marine Corps from “Other Than Honorable” to “Honorable,” the judgment should be affirmed despite the plaintiff’s argument that (1) the board failed to apply Department of Defense guidance concerning veterans su[...]
Education – Loan forgiveness
Where a complaint has been filed challenging a new rule concerning the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, the new rule must be vacated because it is contrary to law and promulgated in excess of statutory authority, is arbitrary and capricious, and violates the First Amendment.
Judges block Trump’s limits on student loan forgiveness program
Federal judges in Boston and Washington, D.C., blocked the Trump administration's rule limiting public service loan forgiveness eligibility for certain nonprofit workers.
