New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s highest court is the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. The court has four associate justices and one chief justice. The chief justice is appointed according to the same procedures as the associate justices. (Source: New Hampshire Judicial Branch)
Judicial Selection
The governor nominates justices to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by a majority of the executive council, a five-member body whose members are chosen in partisan elections every two years. An appointed justice serves a single term until mandatory retirement at age 70. To fill an interim vacancy, the governor selects a candidate for a single term from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission but is not required to select a candidate from the list. The nominee must be confirmed by a majority of the executive council.
State Constitution
New Hampshire has had two constitutions adopted in 1776 and 1784. As of January 1, 2024, it had 147 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
Filters
States Grapple with Problematic Rule from Federal Voting Cases
The Purcell principle, which holds that federal courts should not change voting rules too close to an election, is increasingly being raised in state litigation.
Advice for Law Students From State Supreme Court Justices
As the school year kicks off, eight justices reflect on what they wish someone had told them when they were in law school.
State Constitutional Conventions, Explained
The last state to hold a conventional convention was in Rhode Island in 1986.
The Right to Petition in State Constitutions, Explained
Some states protect citizens’ right to make requests of or complaints against the government more broadly than the federal Constitution.
Status of Partisan Gerrymandering Litigation in State Courts
Utah’s high court sent a closely watched challenge to the state’s congressional maps back to the lower court.
Judicial Deference to Agency Expertise in the States
Almost all state courts recognize the importance of agencies’ expertise in policymaking.
SCOTUS’s 2nd Amendment Decision Leaves Open Questions for State Courts
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the disarmament of a domestic abuser in United States v. Rahimi, but litigation over where to draw the line will continue.
Three U.S. Supreme Court Cases that Transformed State Judicial Elections
Judicial elections have become major political battlegrounds — complete with dark money, special interests, and attack ads — thanks to several U.S. Supreme Court decisions.