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John Hawkinson

@johnhawkinson.bsky.social

3.3K followers 440 following 5.6K posts

Cambridge, MA freelance reporter, usually for @CambridgeDay. MIT; public recs; data; legal news Lately: immigration. [email protected] 617.797.0250

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · Sep 3

Just back from a big #immigration win by @aclum.bsky.social: Judge Talwani rules that a Special Immigrant Juvenile, arrested on July 4, can't be held in mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act, if, as here, no charges were brought.
She orders he must be given a bond hearing within one week.

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3h

What? No.

For this type of overvote, ranking a candidate twice, the choice for that candidates is thrown out and the rest of the preferences are used (arguably clearly not the voter's intent). So this person did not vote for Wilson.

At the end of the day, their vote was in Hanratty's pile.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 7h

Approved. 7-0.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 7h

Apparently the "in principal" was an error, and instead there's a condition of a desire to improve the project and also a desire that they see the final design because "it's liable to change," Charlie Sullivan says.

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 7h

Attorney for the project Patrick Barrett looks…about as confused as I am.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 7h

17 Story Street / Harriet Jacobs House is back at the #cambma Historic Commission.

This is weird… granting a Cert. of Appropriateness in-principal *again*, asking it to come back after getting other permits (like a building permit? huh? how would that work?)

Last time: bsky.app/profile/john...

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · Sep 5

The #cambma Historical Commission approves IN PRINCIPLE a certificate of appropriateness for 17 Story St., the Harriet Jacobs House, after several hours of hearing last month and just now tonight. And after initiating a landmark study last month.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 9h

The Government has timely filed its opposition to class cert. in Guerrero Orelanna (5:39pm, while I was out).

« Also, the court might have fixed the access restrictions? Or maybe they were just working late today? idk »

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

Kseniia #Petrova criminal case: again, a joint status report submitted in lieu of next week's conference which will likely be cancelled.
Gov has produced "all discovery it intends to."
Defense intends to file a discovery motion, can't do it until Nov.; def. attys on trial in NY for the next month.

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

Motion granted (anything otherwise would be a surprise).

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

Government asks (w/o opposition) for 7 extra pages (so 27) in its opposition to class certification in the ACLU's Guerrero Orellana mandatory detention case (D. Mass)…

Filings are semi-half-brokenly-restricted but I have them.

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, also, in SOME CASES (around here it is magistrate judge proceedings, but…94 different districts, 94 different ways of doing things), where there is no live court reporter you can order the court's audio recording.

Example here: bsky.app/profile/john...

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · Jun 25

While you wait for my story, you can catch up on the audio of last Wednesday's probable cause hearing in Kseniia Petrova's case: youtu.be/8ZoQ_dgNHto

Kseniia Petrova probable cause hearing. June 18, 2025, District of Massachusetts

YouTube video by John Hawkinson

youtu.be

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

Just one metal detector!

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

Boston has allowed laptops and phones for reporters since at least before around 2010 when I started covering federal court cases here!
Providence also does now, I don't know for how long that's been true.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

And as to this, it is extremely variable. In many if not most of the biggest federal courts (DC, SDNY, etc.) there is a provision for reporters to use laptops.

But every district has a slightly different rule.

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 1d

That's not QUITE right. All federal appeals courts provide oral argument audio, most livestream it. And some significant district court proceedings allow remote audio; not for evidentiary or criminal matters though, mostly*. (Recording is always prohibited, but that's a different inquiry!)

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d

(Planning Board meeting adjourned, after a post-2072 discursion about window decals in retail spaces vis-a-vis sign ordinance compliance.)

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d

The Planning Board was strongly supportive of the new 2072 design and proposal (not that their support is required — it's an advisory consultation!), but there's clearly more design work to be done and they had several ideas. The project will return for another consultation in a few months.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d

Yeah, I should have been more clear that it was clearly a conflation of the 2021 plan. But since it's obvious that the 2025 plan is quite different, it's hard to understand the excuse for the confusion.

(Also, the 2021 single elevator was absolutely code-compliant & architects told me it was fine.)

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d

I'm not liveposting this meeting, and definitely not liveposting public comment but…
where do these weird rumors come from?

That the building doesn't have stairwells and has a single elevator?

Both are obviously untrue!

(stairwells in yellow, double elevator bank just on plan south from STAIR 01)

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d

Obligatory zoom screenshot?

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d

2072 Massachusetts Avenue is back at the #cambma Planning Board tonight.

I guess it is just in time for the election season, since this affordable housing development project (on the KFC site at Walden St.) was crazy-controversial last time and ultimately was killed by the BZA in pre-AHO times.

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John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3d

Meeting adjourned, 10:06:22:pm.

Good night.

"choo-choo, ch-ch,"
someone says into the microphone.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3d

No meeting next week, Indigenous People's Day / Columbus Day.

EDS announces David Murphy's appointment tonight as Superintendent of Schools.

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3d

Announcements…

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3d

turns out there was an underlying order in the dangerous dogs committee report that needed passage.

Moving on to late resolutions…John Joseph Quinn and Kathleen Cummings. Both deaths [late late?]

John Hawkinson @johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3d

OK, home stretch. (dangerous dogs item placed on file)