Massachusetts 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1766 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/27/2025

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1050       FILED ON: 1/14/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1766
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Daniel J. Hunt
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to judicial security.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Daniel J. Hunt13th Suffolk1/14/2025 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1050       FILED ON: 1/14/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1766
By Representative Hunt of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1766) of Daniel 
J. Hunt relative to the public posting or displaying of the personal information of certain 
protected judicial officials 	and their family members. The Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to judicial security.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority 
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after chapter 156 the 
2following chapter:- 
3 CHAPTER 221D. MASSACHUSETTS JUDICIAL SECURITY ACT 
4 Section 1. Definitions 
5 (1) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires 
6otherwise, have the following meanings: 
7 “data broker” a commercial entity that collects, assembles, or maintains personal 
8information concerning an individual who is not a customer or an employee of that entity in 
9order to sell the information or provide third party access to the information.  2 of 4
10 "immediate family" the spouse, child, or parent or any other blood relative who lives in 
11the same residence as a justice or retired justice of the supreme judicial court, appeals court or 
12trial court. 
13 "personal information" the Social Security number, home address, home phone number, 
14mobile phone number, or personal email of, and identifiable to, that individual 
15 “Protected Individual” a justice or retired justice of the supreme judicial court or appeals 
16court, a judge, recall judge or retired judge of the trial court. any active, formerly active, or 
17retired justice of the United States supreme court; judge of the United States court of appeals, 
18judge or magistrate judge of the United States district court, judge of the United States 
19bankruptcy court 
20 Section 2. 
21 (a) No state agency, county agency or municipal agency shall publicly post or display the 
22personal information of any protected individual on the internet without first obtaining the 
23written permission of that individual. 
24 (b) Each protected individual may file a written notice of their status as a protected 
25individual, for themselves and immediate family to any state agency, county agency or municipal 
26agency; and ask each state agency, county agency or municipal agency to mark as confidential 
27that protected individual’s personal information. 
28 (c) Upon receipt of a written request in accordance with this section, the state agency, 
29county agency or municipal agency shall remove the protected individual’s personal information 
30from publicly available content within 72 hours.  3 of 4
31 Section 3.                             
32 (a) It shall be unlawful for a data broker to sell, license, trade, purchase, or otherwise 
33provide or make available for consideration a protected individual’s personal information. 
34 (b) No person, business, or association shall publicly post or publicly display the personal 
35information of a protected individual or a protected individual’s immediate family on the internet 
36if the protected individual has, either directly or through an agent, made a written request of the 
37data broker, person, business, or association to not disclose said personal information. 
38 (c) A data broker, person, business, or association, shall upon receipt of a written request 
39in accordance with this section, remove the personal information in question from the internet 
40within 72 hours. 
41 (d) A data broker, person, business, or association shall ensure, after receiving a written 
42request in accordance with this section, that the protected individual’s personal information is not 
43made available on any website or subsidiary website controlled by that data broker, person, 
44business, or association. 
45 (e) After receiving a protected individual’s written request, no data broker, person, 
46business, or association shall transfer the judges’ personally identifiable information to any other 
47person, business, or association through any medium. 
48 (f) An at-risk individual whose judges' personally identifiable information is made public 
49as a result of a violation of this Act may bring an action seeking injunctive or declaratory relief 
50in any court of competent jurisdiction. If the court grants injunctive or declaratory relief, the  4 of 4
51person, business, or association responsible for the violation shall be required to pay the at-risk 
52individual’s costs and reasonable attorney's fees. 
53 Section 4.  
54 This Act shall take effect 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.