H1868 • 2025

An Act requiring only a justice to remove a trial default of a defendant who fails to appear at trial

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Christopher M. Markey
Last action: 2026-03-26
Official status: Accompanied a study order, see H5281 (under House Rule 27)
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act requiring only a justice to remove a trial default of a defendant who fails to appear at trial

An Act requiring only a justice to remove a trial default of a defendant who fails to appear at trial By Representative Markey of Dartmouth, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act requiring only a justice to remove a trial default of a defendant who fails to appear at trial By Representative Markey of Dartmouth, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
1868) of Christopher M.
Markey relative to the removal of a trial default of defendants who fail to appear at trial.
The Judiciary.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-26 House
Accompanied a study order, see H5281 (under House Rule 27)
2025-10-20 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:10 PM in A-2
2025-07-29 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-06:00 PM in A-2 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-07-29 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:10 PM in A-2 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-07-16 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on The Judiciary
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred
House
Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order

Official Summary Text

An Act requiring only a justice to remove a trial default of a defendant who fails to appear at trial
By Representative Markey of Dartmouth, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1868) of Christopher M. Markey relative to the removal of a trial default of defendants who fail to appear at trial. The Judiciary.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill H.1868

Chapter 276 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended in section 29, after paragraph 3 by adding the following paragraph:-

"A person who is arrested as a result of a trial default warrant, shall only be subject to bail by a justice in the issuing court or a justice in the district in which such warrant was executed, and prior to any release such person may be required to pay all or a portion of any cost imposed by the issuing justice, unless remitted by the presenting justice.

Such type of trial default warrant shall be distinctly and separately identified as “Trial Default Warrant” on the docket sheet and in Criminal Offender Registration Index, and in the Massachusetts Warrant System (MWS). A

“Trial Default Warrant” is a default warrant issued by a justice, on the day a person is scheduled to appear in court for a trial and such person fails to appear for trial, and the Commonwealth provides a list of witnesses who have appeared with a certification that the Commonwealth was ready for trial, and such failure to appear is without justifiable excuse. Such certification of the Commonwealth must be placed with the clerk on the day of the warrant is issued."

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