Massachusetts Legal Overview: Boston-Worcester-Lawrence The Boston-Worcester-Lawrence metropolitan area in Massachusetts, also known as Greater Boston, covers 29 counties spread across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. Greater Boston is defined by the Census Bureau as a combined statistical area (CSA) comprised of 10 metro areas including the Boston MA-NH MSA which covers seven counties in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. The seven Massachusetts counties in the Boston metro include Suffolk County, with the city of Boston as its county seat. Listed below are the 10 biggest Massachusetts cities in the Boston-Worcester-Lawrence metro area.
Top Massachusetts cities for Legal Issues: Boston
1. The Suffolk County Superior Court located in the county courthouse in Boston is the main trial court with general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases in the city of Boston and the rest of the county. The Chelsea District Court located in Chelsea, MD is the only district court in Suffolk County and has limited jurisdiction over misdemeanors, traffic violations, small claims not exceeding $7,000, and civil disputes that do not exceed $25,000. The superior court handles civil disputes that involve amounts bigger than $25,000.
Trending Legal Topics: The Boston Municipal Court has limited jurisdiction over misdemeanors and city code violations. It shares jurisdiction over certain felonies with the superior court and may take up civil actions remanded to it. Appeals against trial court verdicts are filed with the Massachusetts Court of Appeals. The Supreme Judicial Court is the court of last resort. Federal cases can be filed with the Boston or Worchester divisions of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Federal appeals are heard by the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals. |