The '' ' Administration of Justice Act ' '' allowed the Royal governor to order trials of accused royal officials to take place in Great Britain or elsewhere within the Empire if he decided that the defendant could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts . Although the act stipulated for witnesses to be reimbursed after having traveled at their own expense across the Atlantic , it was not stipulated that this would include reimbursement for lost earnings during the period for which they would be unable to work , leaving few with the ability to testify . George Washington called this the " Murder Act " because he believed that it allowed British officials to harass Americans and then escape justice . Many colonists believed the act was unnecessary because British soldiers had been given a fair trial following the Boston Massacre in 1770
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
Intolerable Acts