Supreme Court Denies Hearing Halloran-Whitey Bulger Case

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on May 16, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Here are some tales from the seedy underworld of organized crime and mobsters-turned-FBI informants. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal involving a notorious Boston area gangster. The High Court denied certiorari after the First Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the case due to the statute of limitations.

The case involves the murder of Edward Halloran by a former Boston mob boss and FBI informant, James "Whitey" Bulger. The estate of Edward Halloran wants over $2 million in damages from the FBI.

Halloran was allegedly shot on the waterfront in 1982 by Bulger, who was an FBI informant at the time. The FBI was ordered to pay Halloran's family $2 million in damages.

The damages award was overturned by the First Circuit Court of Appeals as the court ruled that the families did not file their claims within the statute of limitations.

Bulger was one of Boston's most notorious gangsters and was apprehended in Santa Monica last year, after being in exile for over a decade.

James "Whitey" Bulger had a schizophrenic relationship with the FBI. He was a mob boss and at the same time, served as an FBI informant, helping bring down the Italian-American Patriarca crime family.

In 1994, Bulger was investigated by the DEA and the Massachusetts State Police. Before they had a chance to arrest him, he escaped and went into hiding.

He is now facing 19 counts of murder, in addition to several other charges.

The Supreme Court denied rehearing without comment. Justice Elena Kagan sat out this decision.

The Supreme Court's denial signals an end in the saga of Edward Halloran and the FBI. But Whitey's court drama continues.

Related Resources:

Browse First Circuit Cases (FindLaw Cases)

First Circuit Court of Appeals (US Courts)

First Cir. Denies Rehearing in Stieg Larrson Trilogy-Worthy Case (FindLaw First Circuit Blog)