BOSTON (AP) — A single justice of the highest court in Massachusetts is set to hear cases that could affect thousands of drug convictions challenged because of a scandal at a drug-testing lab.
Chemist Annie Dookhan has been accused of faking test results and tampering with evidence in drug cases.
On Wednesday, Supreme Judicial Court Justice Margot Botsford will hear from Essex County prosecutors who question whether special magistrates have the authority to put sentences on hold and release convicted drug dealers while their new trial motions are pending.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and public defenders argue that drug defendants whose cases were handled by Dookhan have a "presumptive right" to be released while their challenges are pending.
Botsford will decide whether to send the cases to the full court.
