In a very brief hearing, Justice Ruth Abrams ruled that the various appeal arguments of both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the defense of Louise Woodward would be consolidated and heard before a panel of seven justices in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Prosecutors Gerard Leone, Jr. and Martha Coakley had hoped that Justice Abrams would rule on their petition to stay, or freeze, Judge Hiller Zobel's ruling last month to reduce Woodward's conviction from second-degree murder to manslaughter and free the convicted British au pair. (At the time of the ruling, Woodward had served 279 days in jail. Judge Zobel sentenced her to the time she had already served for the death of Matthew Eappen.) However, Justice Abrams did not rule on that issue and did not indicate when she would.

Justice Abrams tentatively scheduled the appeals arguments for March, 1998. For now, it appears Louise Woodward will remain free until the hearing.