How New Hampshire's courts work and who runs them: judges, clerks, bail commissioners and prosecutors, judicial discipline, criminal records and annulment, and the rulings that shape state law.
20 stories Latest Oct. 18, 2026
New Hampshire's federal district court had one judgeship from 1789 to 1978. Eighteen judges have held its seats; the second was removed by impeachment in 1804.
NH's school tax cap question survived three court orders in 12 days. None was a final ruling on the merits, and the public hearings the judge mentioned are optional.
Under RSA 106-F a newsroom faces a misdemeanor as a sole proprietor and a felony once incorporated. Its press carve-out turns on an undefined credential.
NH's 2024 AI child-abuse-image clause needs no real child or obscenity. NH's high court rejected that logic in 2008; the Seventh Circuit did in 2026.
A civil case and a criminal case answer different questions. How New Hampshire splits them: burden of proof, who gets a lawyer, and what a win is worth.
New Hampshire licenses lawyers by bar exam or the Daniel Webster Scholar program. Costs, pay, the NextGen exam switch and RSA 311.
RSA 651:5 annulment seals court and state records, but police reports stay on file. Eligibility, steps, fees and waiting periods.
Bail commissioners need no law degree. What they decide, how they are trained, and how New Hampshire has changed who sets bail in serious cases.
New Hampshire splits charging power among the attorney general, elected county attorneys and police prosecutors. Here is who does what.
How NH's three courts split the caseload, what judges are paid under RSA 491-A:1, how they are appointed, and why the job ends at age 70.
How false filings, police reports and DCYF calls are used as weapons, what research shows about the harm, and the HB 1565 veto.
Donald Trump's criminal record, checked against court files: 34 felony counts and 10 contempt findings in one New York case, and what is not a conviction.
NH’s Attorney General cleared officers in two July 2026 shootings. One full report stays sealed, and a Lisbon officer’s name is still off the Laurie List.
