InNew Hampshire, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through New Hampshire's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of New Hampshire's state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also:Judicial selection in New Hampshire

Judges on theNew Hampshire Supreme Court,New Hampshire Superior Courts, andNew Hampshire Circuit Courts are selected through gubernatorial appointment and may serve until they reach the age of 70. When a vacancy occurs, the governor nominates a successor. The nominee must be approved by theNew Hampshire Executive Council.^[1][2] The five members of the executive council are chosen every two years inpartisan elections.^[3] As of August 2021, it had been customary since 2000 for the governor to establish ajudicial selection commission by executive order to seek out, evaluate, and recommend candidates for nomination.^[4][5]

Federal courts

Thefederal district court in New Hampshire is theUnited States District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

Appeals from this federal court go to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.

Active judges

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 2
• Republican appointed: 1

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

State supreme court

See also:New Hampshire Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is thecourt of last resort in the state. Thechief justice is the head of the state's judiciary and, with the other justices of the Supreme Court, oversees the judicial branch. The supreme court has jurisdiction to hear appeals from lower trial courts, as well as many administrative agencies. The court may also issue writs ofcertiorari,prohibition, andhabeas corpus.^[6]

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

New Hampshire Superior Courts

See also:New Hampshire Superior Courts

The superior courts are the courts of general jurisdiction, holding jury trials in civil and criminal cases. All cases are appealed directly to theNew Hampshire Supreme Court. The superior courts hear the following types of cases:

• Negligence, contracts, real property rights and other civil matters where claim for damages totals at least $1,500 and at least one party requests a jury trial
• Cases involving a claim for damages over $25,000
• Felonies
• Misdemeanor appeals from thecircuit courts
• Petitions for injunctive relief^[7]

New Hampshire Circuit Courts

See also:New Hampshire Circuit Courts

On July 1, 2011,New Hampshire's lower courts were combined into 10circuit courts, with at least one location in eachNew Hampshire county. The courts were created under HB 609, which was signed into law by GovernorJohn Lynch (D) on May 16, 2011. Ninety percent of the cases filed inNew Hampshire will be heard in these courts. Each circuit court has three divisions, district, probate and family. Some courts may have multiple locations depending on the size of the county.^[8][9]

Probate division

Formerly called probate courts, the probate division of thecircuit courts has jurisdiction over the following matters: wills, trusts and estates, guardianships and involuntary commitment proceedings, adoptions, name changes and the partition of real estate. In the consolidation of July 2011, the number of probate courts was reduced from 117 to 54.^[10][11]

District division

Formerly called the district courts, the district division of thecircuit courts handles misdemeanor and violation offenses (including motor vehicle violations), small claims, landlord-tenant matters, stalking cases and other civil cases. There are 32 circuit courts with district divisions throughoutNew Hampshire.^[12]

Family division

Formerly called family courts, the family division of thecircuit courts has jurisdiction over matters involving divorce and parenting, child support, domestic violence petitions, guardianship of minors, termination of parental rights, abuse and neglect cases, matters regarding children who need state services, juvenile delinquency, and some adoption matters. There are 28 family divisions in the state, located in the following counties:

• Belknap
• Carroll
• Cheshire
• Coos
• Grafton
• Hillsborough
• Merrimack
• Rockingham
• Strafford
• Sullivan^[13]

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in New Hampshire
• New Hampshire judicial elections

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• New Hampshire Judicial Branch website
• New Hampshire Judicial Branch, "Find your New Hampshire court"

Footnotes

v • e Courts by state Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming