Case Title: Jackson v. Commonwealth

Citation: 

Docket Number: SJC-13311

State: massachusetts

Court: Massachusetts Supreme Court

Date: 2024-03-29T00:00:00Z

Document:
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SJC-13311 
 
LEONARD JERMAINE JACKSON  vs.  COMMONWEALTH. 
 
 
March 29, 2024. 
 
 
Supreme Judicial Court, Superintendence of inferior courts, 
Appeal from order of single justice.  Practice, Civil, 
Transfer of action to Superior Court. 
 
 
 
Leonard Jermaine Jackson, the defendant in the underlying 
criminal case, filed a petition in the county court requesting 
to have his case transferred from the Superior Court in Bristol 
County to this court, pursuant to G. L. c. 211, § 4A.  A single 
justice denied the petition without a hearing.  We affirm. 
In 2002, Jackson was found guilty of murder in the first 
degree, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.  Both 
convictions were affirmed on direct appeal.  See Commonwealth v. 
Jackson, 447 Mass. 603 (2006).  In 2014, he filed a petition in 
the county court, pursuant to G. L. c. 211, § 3, seeking to 
raise various arguments challenging the lawfulness of his 
conviction (2014 petition).  A single justice of this court 
transferred the matter to the Superior Court.  In 2022, Jackson 
filed the instant petition, asserting that his prior petition 
had never been ruled upon by the Superior Court, and requesting 
that his case be transferred to this court for resolution of the 
arguments raised in his 2014 petition. 
A defendant's request to have his case transferred to this 
court under G. L. c. 211, § 4A, is "a matter within the single 
justice's discretion."  Stow v. Commonwealth, 423 Mass. 1002, 
1002 (1996).  See McCabe v. Commissioner of Correction, 465 
Mass. 1001, 1001 (2013).  Here, there was no basis to conclude 
that the single justice was required to transfer Jackson's 
2 
 
 
 
criminal case, and "no indication that [the single justice] 
abused his discretion in declining to do so."  Sharma v. County 
Mtge., LLC, 489 Mass. 1006, 1006 (2022).  Accordingly, the 
single justice did not err or abuse his discretion in denying 
relief.1,2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Judgment affirmed. 
 
 
 
The case was submitted on briefs. 
 
Leonard Jermaine Jackson, pro se. 
 
David B. Mark, Assistant District Attorney, for the 
Commonwealth. 
 
1 We note that Jackson's 2014 petition appears to have been 
ruled upon by the Superior Court in an order dated April 5, 
2015, which makes explicit reference to the 2014 petition, its 
transfer to the Superior Court, and the arguments raised 
therein.  The Commonwealth's suggestion at a subsequent motion 
hearing that the 2014 petition remained unresolved seemingly 
related to documents that Jackson had submitted to the county 
court after his 2014 petition had already been transferred.   
 
2 We further note that because Jackson stands convicted of 
murder in the first degree, he may not appeal from the denial of 
relief by the Superior Court without first obtaining leave by a 
single justice of this court, pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E.  
See Vinnie v. Superintendent, Massachusetts Correctional Inst., 
Norfolk, 479 Mass. 1007, 1007 (2018) (single justice properly 
denied defendant's request to reinstate petition, which had been 
transferred to Superior Court, where relief was subsequently 
denied, because defendant could not "circumvent the gatekeeper 
provision by filing his petition in the county court in the 
first instance" [citation omitted]).