Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1766 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1050 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1766
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Daniel J. Hunt
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to judicial security.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Daniel J. Hunt13th Suffolk1/14/2025 1 of 4
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1050 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1766
18	18	By Representative Hunt of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1766) of Daniel
19	19	J. Hunt relative to the public posting or displaying of the personal information of certain
20	20	protected judicial officials and their family members. The Judiciary.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act relative to judicial security.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after chapter 156 the
30	30	2following chapter:-
31	31	3 CHAPTER 221D. MASSACHUSETTS JUDICIAL SECURITY ACT
32	32	4 Section 1. Definitions
33	33	5 (1) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires
34	34	6otherwise, have the following meanings:
35	35	7 “data broker” a commercial entity that collects, assembles, or maintains personal
36	36	8information concerning an individual who is not a customer or an employee of that entity in
37	37	9order to sell the information or provide third party access to the information. 2 of 4
38	38	10 "immediate family" the spouse, child, or parent or any other blood relative who lives in
39	39	11the same residence as a justice or retired justice of the supreme judicial court, appeals court or
40	40	12trial court.
41	41	13 "personal information" the Social Security number, home address, home phone number,
42	42	14mobile phone number, or personal email of, and identifiable to, that individual
43	43	15 “Protected Individual” a justice or retired justice of the supreme judicial court or appeals
44	44	16court, a judge, recall judge or retired judge of the trial court. any active, formerly active, or
45	45	17retired justice of the United States supreme court; judge of the United States court of appeals,
46	46	18judge or magistrate judge of the United States district court, judge of the United States
47	47	19bankruptcy court
48	48	20 Section 2.
49	49	21 (a) No state agency, county agency or municipal agency shall publicly post or display the
50	50	22personal information of any protected individual on the internet without first obtaining the
51	51	23written permission of that individual.
52	52	24 (b) Each protected individual may file a written notice of their status as a protected
53	53	25individual, for themselves and immediate family to any state agency, county agency or municipal
54	54	26agency; and ask each state agency, county agency or municipal agency to mark as confidential
55	55	27that protected individual’s personal information.
56	56	28 (c) Upon receipt of a written request in accordance with this section, the state agency,
57	57	29county agency or municipal agency shall remove the protected individual’s personal information
58	58	30from publicly available content within 72 hours. 3 of 4
59	59	31 Section 3.
60	60	32 (a) It shall be unlawful for a data broker to sell, license, trade, purchase, or otherwise
61	61	33provide or make available for consideration a protected individual’s personal information.
62	62	34 (b) No person, business, or association shall publicly post or publicly display the personal
63	63	35information of a protected individual or a protected individual’s immediate family on the internet
64	64	36if the protected individual has, either directly or through an agent, made a written request of the
65	65	37data broker, person, business, or association to not disclose said personal information.
66	66	38 (c) A data broker, person, business, or association, shall upon receipt of a written request
67	67	39in accordance with this section, remove the personal information in question from the internet
68	68	40within 72 hours.
69	69	41 (d) A data broker, person, business, or association shall ensure, after receiving a written
70	70	42request in accordance with this section, that the protected individual’s personal information is not
71	71	43made available on any website or subsidiary website controlled by that data broker, person,
72	72	44business, or association.
73	73	45 (e) After receiving a protected individual’s written request, no data broker, person,
74	74	46business, or association shall transfer the judges’ personally identifiable information to any other
75	75	47person, business, or association through any medium.
76	76	48 (f) An at-risk individual whose judges' personally identifiable information is made public
77	77	49as a result of a violation of this Act may bring an action seeking injunctive or declaratory relief
78	78	50in any court of competent jurisdiction. If the court grants injunctive or declaratory relief, the 4 of 4
79	79	51person, business, or association responsible for the violation shall be required to pay the at-risk
80	80	52individual’s costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
81	81	53 Section 4.
82	82	54 This Act shall take effect 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.