- GSR Tools
Working tools for New Hampshire's Right-to-Know law: the 91-A Request Builder, Redact, and the Record Room catalog. Free with an email subscription.
- New Hampshire Law Says Redaction Software Counts as Good Faith. It Never Says the Software Has to Work.
RSA 91-A:4, IV(f) shields a public body that redacts with automated software. It never asks whether the software destroyed anything. Two free tools from this newsroom, and the three tests that tell you whether a black box on a public record is real or decorative.
- Redact
Granite State Report offers a free redaction tool designed to effectively remove sensitive information from documents. Unlike traditional methods, it converts documents into images, ensuring that original text is irretrievable. The tool preserves user confidentiality, allowing documents to be processed in a secure, private manner directly within the user's browser.
- A Sole Proprietor Faces a Misdemeanor. An Incorporated Newsroom Faces a Felony.
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.
- New Hampshire lost this case in 2008. In 2024 it passed the law anyway.
New Hampshire's 2024 AI child-abuse-image clause needs no real child and no obscenity finding. The state Supreme Court rejected that reasoning in 2008 in State v. Zidel, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected it in 2002, and on Aug. 25 the Seventh Circuit refused to enforce the narrower federal version. The committee that wrote the clause called the missing element a loophole.
- The Access Is Already Yours. The Attention Is What’s Missing.
New Hampshire law hands every resident the keys to every public meeting and every public record in the state. A 1999 movie explains why almost nobody picks them up.
- New Hampshire Will Sell You a Record. It Will Never Build You an Index.
RSA 91-A:4, VII frees every New Hampshire agency from ever assembling an index of what it holds. Granite State Report published one instead.
- Granite State Record Room
Every document Granite State Report holds, listed in one place, with the source and the rights holder named on each. The catalog opens with a free email subscription. Every record it lists is public and stays free.
- Liable Is Not Guilty: The Difference Between a Civil and a Criminal Case in New Hampshire
A civil case and a criminal case answer different questions. Here is how New Hampshire splits them: burden of proof, who gets a lawyer, the clock, and what a win is worth.
- RSA 91-A Redline: Every Change Since the Attorney General’s March 2024 Memorandum
Word-for-word redline of the seven acts that changed New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A, since the Attorney General's March 2024 memorandum.
- Seven Laws Changed New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Statute Since 2024. Here Is Every Word That Moved.
Seven acts have changed RSA 91-A since 2024, the two signed in 2026 are narrow, the rule that can put a price on a large email request dates to 2024, the office that rules on fee fights has no one in it, and the attorney general's guide predates all seven.
- New Hampshire’s SNAP Work Notice Misstates Rules It Was Written to Explain
New Hampshire's Sept. 8 SNAP work notice sets no deadline for the time-limit rules it applies, states its work exemption two ways, and contradicts a decision notice dated the same day.
- One Word in New Hampshire’s Private Investigator Law Decides Who Counts as Press. Nobody Has Defined It.
RSA 106-F exempts anyone reporting for an "accredited" news outlet from a licensing scheme backed by a misdemeanor; the chapter never says what accredited means, and no one in New Hampshire issues the credential.
- The Attorney General’s Right-to-Know Manual Leaves Out the Part Where You Get the Records
New Hampshire's official Right-to-Know manual drops one of the three answers the statute allows, drops a "not" that reverses an exemption, and has gone two and a half years without an update.
- When Did America Become an Empire? The Law Says February 6, 1899
The founders called the republic an empire and meant equal states. The break came in 1899, when the U.S. kept people it never promised to make citizens.
- Chief Justice MacDonald Resigns. Read His Letter and the Record Behind It.
Gordon J. MacDonald resigned as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court on September 15, 2026, admitting to three ethics violations related to a $49,856 layoff payout for an aide. His resignation followed a Stipulation and Agreement with the Judicial Conduct Committee, which raised concerns over transparency in handling the situation.
- A New Constitution for New Hampshire. Another for the United States. Here Is How It Can Legally Be Done.
Two replacement constitutions, one for New Hampshire and one for the country, with the lawful road to each traced from a question already printed on the 2032 ballot.
- New Hampshire Asks Every Ten Years Whether to Rewrite Its Constitution. The Country Never Has To.
New Hampshire's constitution mandates a vote every ten years on whether to convene a convention for amendments, emphasizing civic engagement. This contrasts with the U.S. Constitution, which lacks a regular revision mechanism. The author proposes a new national constitution to encourage generational consent, reflecting Jefferson's vision, while addressing concerns about stability.
- Rome Killed Him. Then Rome Hired Him.
The empire that executed a carpenter made his creed the law; New Hampshire wrote its own version into Article 6, kept it for 184 years, and four House members tried to bring it back in 2026.
- Make Other People Come to You
New Hampshire’s legislative process guarantees a public hearing for every bill, but accessibility issues arise due to scheduling during work hours and physical attendance requirements. Consequently, hearings are often dominated by paid lobbyists and professionals, limiting public participation. Recent changes to committee rules further complicate transparency and civic engagement.
- Get Others to Do the Work
New Hampshire's legislative system features 424 lawmakers, paid only $100 annually, resulting in reliance on the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) for drafting bills. While this model enhances accessibility and efficiency, it obscures the true origin of bill ideas, as only sponsors are recorded. This creates a gap between sponsors and actual contributors.
- Live Free or Die Is a Slogan. Here Is the Ledger.
New Hampshire's constitution says government exists for the whole community and not for the private gain of any class of men; two dozen numbers show which side of that line the state lives on.
- Court Attention at All Cost
- The Federal Workshop on Negotiating With Requesters Did Not Invite Any Requesters
The Justice Department's recent workshop intended to enhance negotiation techniques for Freedom of Information Act requests excluded public attendance, raising concerns about transparency. Historically, such sessions included requester input. The evolving focus on internal agency training without public engagement diminishes accountability, highlighting flaws within both federal and New Hampshire's public records processes.
- Five Items Denied in One Sentence. The Sixth Is Booked for December.
The New Hampshire Department of Safety answered a Right-to-Know request for firearms-denial records by denying five items in one sentence under RSA 159-D:2 and estimating December 16, 2026 for the sixth. What RSA 91-A:4 requires of a denial and a delay.
- The Law That Decides When You Can Press Record in New Hampshire
New Hampshire's wiretap law, RSA 570-A, prohibits recording conversations without all parties' consent, classifying violations as either felonies or misdemeanors. While allowing governmental recordings under specific conditions, it emphasizes public recording rights at meetings and police interactions. Efforts to amend the law for more flexibility continue to face opposition.
- So Much Depends on Reputation
A New Hampshire registry documents police officer reputations, stemming from a 1989 murder case that highlighted concealed evidence. This led to the creation of the Exculpatory Evidence Schedule, publicly released in 2022, providing insight into officers with credibility issues. It reflects a broader battle for transparency in law enforcement.
- Always Say Less Than Necessary
Three sentences end conversations in New Hampshire government, "no comment," "that's a personnel matter," and "it's pending litigation," and two of them carry no legal weight on their own; "personnel matter" stopped being law on May 29, 2020, and almost nobody outside a courtroom was told.
- A Town Policy Is Not a Law
New Hampshire towns hold only the powers the legislature gave them. When a local Right-to-Know policy narrows RSA 91-A, the policy loses. Here is the line.
- Conceal Your Intentions
Greene's third law says give people no purpose to read; New Hampshire's RSA 91-A:3 does not forbid a public body from closing the door, it makes the body sign for it.
