On October 23, 2026, CPR and local partners submitted an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief with Massachusetts’ highest court addressing the interaction between two long standing due process rights for people who are the subject of in civil commitment hearings: the right to prompt judicial review and the right to request a continuance of hearing deadlines in order to prepare a meaningful defense. Amici argues that legislative history and decades of court decisions interpreting the plain language of the statute support the principle that continuance dates requested by the individual and approved by the court should be treated as mandatory deadlines. Any further continuance of these deadlines over the individual’s objection can only occur under extraordinary circumstances. It is noteworthy that the person is confined in a mental health facility during a continuance.
The Brief of Amicus Curiae was co-filed with the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee and the Disability Law Center of Massachusetts. Oral argument is scheduled for November 2, 2026.