Massachusetts
Massachusetts Defends Free Speech But There Are Limits
Which words are illegal to say in Massachusetts? The short answer is none.
Well, sort of. There is no list of banned words that you cannot say.
You can face charges if you let loose with a volley of offensive terms aimed at someone during the commission of a hate crime or if your words are determined to be hate speech.
To say or write an offensive word is protected free speech.
I read a lot of U.S. history. The “N-word,” perhaps the most offensive word in American English, appears periodically, most often attributed to someone as part of a quotation. In that context, the presentation of the word is not hate speech.
Directing the word at an individual or group of people could be problematic.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of the Trial Courts Law Library states, “A hate crime is a crime that is motivated by bigotry.”
The Commonwealth further explains, “Hate speech is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed., 2014) as: ‘Speech that carries no meaning other than the expression of hatred for some group, such as a particular race, esp. in circumstances in which the communication is likely to provoke violence.”
The Massachusetts Executive Office of the Trial Courts Law Library says, “There is no ‘hate speech’ exception to the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.” Nevertheless, the Commonwealth says, “The right to free speech is not absolute.”
Massachusetts Defends Free Speech But There Are Limits
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that certain types of speech are not protected by the Constitution, including “the lewd and obscene, the profane, the libelous, the insulting or ‘fighting words,’ – those by which their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace.”
However, NBC News reported in May 2021, “The U.S. Supreme Court won’t decide if use of the N-word amounts to illegal discrimination.”
Chapter 272, Section 36A of Massachusetts State Law states, “Whoever, having arrived at the age of sixteen years, directs any profane, obscene or impure language or slanderous statement at a participant or official in a sporting event, shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars.”
Georgetown University’s Free Speech Project says the Massachusetts Legislature rejected proposed legislation in 2019 to “prohibit the word ‘bitch’ to ‘accost, annoy, degrade or demean the other person.” The Free Speech Project says legal experts found the proposal to be unconstitutional.
Are you confused yet?
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A snow plow driver in Kingston, Massachusetts narrowly avoided being impaled by a falling tree branch Monday while clearing snow during a blizzard.
The Kingston Police Department shared photos showing a branch that came crashing down. The limb pierced the windshield of the pickup truck.
Police said the branch, which was about six inches in diameter and several feet long, landed between the driver’s legs, “missing impaling him by inches.”
Kingston Fire and Emergency Management also posted a photo from inside the truck that shows the branch wedged underneath the steering wheel.
“Please stay off the roadways. Even those who are trying to keep the roads clear and safe are having difficulties. Luckily there was no injury to the plow operator,” the fire department said.
Police said roads are being plowed, but then become messy immediately as the snow covers them. In addition, winds are blowing branches onto power lines and into the roads.
“There is no sugar-coating this. It’s bad out here. The worst in years and it’s not over yet,” Kingston police said.
Monday’s punishing storm officially was declared a blizzard for many areas in the state. “Considerable falling and/or blowing snow which reduces visibility to less than ¼ mile for 3+ hours AND sustained winds or frequent gusts 35 mph or greater in that same timeframe” is the official criteria of a blizzard.
Several hundred thousand people in Massachusetts are without power during the storm. Some parts of the state have already reported two feet of snow.
Massachusetts
Most Harvard Schools to Move Classes Online Following Massachusetts State of Emergency | News | The Harvard Crimson
Updated February 22, 2026, at 7:42 p.m.
Harvard College and several other Harvard schools will move Monday classes online following a statewide emergency declaration issued ahead of a major blizzard.
The decision was announced in a Sunday afternoon email sent to undergraduates, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students, and other Faculty of Arts and Sciences affiliates. In separate emails and notices posted on school websites, the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Law School, Graduate School of Design, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Extension School also confirmed they would hold classes online Monday.
The email to FAS affiliates instructed nonessential employees to remain home and work remotely, reinforcing a University-wide announcement issued earlier Sunday by Executive Vice President Meredith L. Weenick ’90.
Residential dining services for undergraduates are expected to operate as usual, according to the email, while GSAS students will have access to limited dining options through the student center.
The Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Graduate School of Education canceled all Monday in-person classes and events, according to announcements posted on the schools’ websites.
Harvard Business School will continue to hold in-person classes, but non-essential staff were instructed to work remotely as a result of the forecast.
Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 declared a statewide state of emergency amid blizzard warnings across Southern New England. Forecasters expect the storm to bring with winds of up to 75 miles per hour to Cambridge, along with 18 to 25 inches of snow.
Harvard’s decision mirrors those of nearby institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University. Harvard has closed campus only a handful of times in recent years, most notably during winter storms in 2013 and 2015.
Forecasts of a major snowstorm at the start of the semester did not prompt the FAS and College to close, however, drawing widespread complaints among the student body.
Harvard Undergraduate Association co-president Abdullah Shahid Sial ’27 cheered the College’s decision following a regular HUA meeting Sunday.
“Having lived in Pakistan my entire life, I’ve never seen snow until pretty much I came to Harvard,” he said. “Now, being in a position where all classes are canceled because of snow, I’m very excited.”
—Staff writers Alma T. Barak and Theresa F. Bartelme contributed reporting.
—Staff writer Sebastian B. Connolly can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal @sbc.23. Follow him on X @SebastianC4784.
—Staff writer Summer E. Rose can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal @ser.85. Follow her on X @summerellenrose.
Massachusetts
State of emergency declared, Massachusetts National Guard deployed ahead of nor’easter
Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency and deployed 200 members of the Massachusetts National Guard ahead of a potential blizzard that is set to slam the state.
Healey held a news conference Sunday afternoon at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) headquarters in Framingham. A potentially historic winter storm will dump snow on the state with blizzard conditions possible in some places.
For the first time in four years, a blizzard warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in Massachusetts. The warning has been issued for the entire North and South Shores, Boston, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Bristol County, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard.
Parts of the state, including Boston, could receive 2 feet of snow. In addition, winds are expected to be an issue for much of Massachusetts. In parts of the state, winds may reach 40-55 mph. On Cape Cod, winds could whip higher than 70 mph.
“This is a serious storm. At the outset what I want to say to the public is this is one to take seriously,” Healey said, adding “Unfortunately we do expect to see power outages and downed trees.”
The governor said declaring a state of emergency allows the state to respond quickly and deploy resources during the storm. The National Guard will be available to assist with rescue response and debris removal.
Healey said all non-emergency government employees will be working remotely on Monday and she urges the private sector to do the same.
Many schools in the state have already canceled class on Monday, which is the first day students were scheduled to return from their winter break. School cancellations are not an issue in New Hampshire for this storm as the state’s winter break is just getting underway.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu held her own news conference Sunday, saying the storm could be “of historic proportions.” The city declared a snow emergency and parking ban and said schools will be closed on Monday. Wu also asked drivers to stay off the roads.
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