New Hampshire Supreme Court Decisions
Since New Hampshire does not have any intermediate appellate courts, the New Hampshire Supreme Court holds sole appellate jurisdiction. In addition to hearing appeals from trial courts, it may hear appeals of decisions by administrative agencies. The Court also can issue certain types of writs, such as writs of habeas corpus and prohibition. Under Supreme Court Rule 7, which dates from 2004, most appeals of final decisions by the circuit and superior courts are considered mandatory, as long as they are filed in a timely manner. This means that the Supreme Court will not have the discretion to deny review. However, it has greater discretion to deny review of appeals from proceedings in administrative agencies, interlocutory appeals, and petitions for original jurisdiction. The Court may require oral arguments, or it may review an appeal based solely on written briefs.
Five justices serve on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and their tenure lasts until they retire or until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70. The Governor of New Hampshire appoints each justice, although a majority of the Executive Council must approve the appointment. If a vacancy arises, the Chief Justice or a senior Associate Justice can fill the vacancy with a former justice. The justice who holds the greatest seniority on the Court will serve as the Chief Justice for up to five years. This position rotates among the justices in five-year terms if each of them has served as the Chief Justice during their tenure.
To improve efficiency, the New Hampshire Supreme Court has created a Three Judges Expedited panel. Justices rotate into this panel on a monthly basis. Hearings before the panel involve a maximum of five minutes of uninterrupted oral argument by counsel for each party, after which the justices will rule on the appeal within two to three weeks. A decision by the panel must be unanimous. Otherwise, the entire court may review the case, or it may be reargued before the panel. Under Supreme Court Rule 12-D(3), these expedited decisions do not create legal precedent.
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- 1955 (45)
- 1954 (76)
- 1953 (75)
- 1952 (62)
- 1951 (81)
- 1950 (66)
Recent Decisions From the New Hampshire Supreme Court
Date: May 14, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0638
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a defendant, Jacob M. Farrell, who was convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault (AFSA), pattern AFSA, and felonious sexual assault. The defendant had a romantic relationship with the…
Date: May 14, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-0210
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around John Doyle, who was charged with crimes stemming from a domestic dispute. In August 2019, the trial court ordered Doyle to undergo a competency evaluation, and his mental health and medical…
Date: May 14, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-0258
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant, Roland Higgins, was convicted on sixteen counts of possession and six counts of distribution of child sexual abuse images. The evidence against him included images downloaded from a BitTorrent account…
Date: May 3, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0648
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, Charles W. Cole, was walking on a brick sidewalk in North Conway Village, a village of the Town of Conway, when he tripped and fell due to holes in the sidewalk caused by missing or broken bricks. The…
Date: April 23, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-0018
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a dispute between Private Jet Services Group, LLC (PJS), a private aircraft booking agent, and Tauck, Inc., a provider of domestic and international guided tours. The parties had entered into an…
Date: April 18, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0328
Justia Opinion Summary: Kenneth Michaud submitted a Right-to-Know request to the Town of Campton Police Department, seeking certain records pertaining to him, his address, or any member of his household. The Town denied his request, asserting…
Date: April 9, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0122
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Mojalaki Holdings, LLC and GSSG New Hampshire, LLC (the plaintiffs) who appealed a decision by the City of Franklin Planning Board (the Board) that denied their site plan application to install a solar…
Date: April 4, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-0170
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a dispute between the Commerce Park Condominium Association (Association) and Little Deer Valley, LLC (declarant), concerning the conversion of convertible land into a new structure, Building C,…
Date: April 3, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0563
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant, Christopher A. Small, was convicted on four charges, including aggravated felonious sexual assault (AFSA) by sexual intercourse with a minor, AFSA by digital penetration of a minor, and two counts of…
Date: April 3, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0643
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant, David Zuzelo, was convicted by a jury in the Superior Court of New Hampshire on one count of pattern aggravated felonious sexual assault (AFSA) and one count of AFSA alleging a single act of penetration.…
Date: April 3, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-0153
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, Newfound Serenity, LLC, sought to develop a seasonal recreational vehicle park and applied for site plan approval from the Town of Hebron's Planning Board. The Planning Board denied the application, citing…
Date: March 26, 2024
Docket Number: 2022-0728
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of New Hampshire reviewed the case of Kierran Pierce, who appealed his convictions of aggravated felonious sexual assault (AFSA) and attempted AFSA. Pierce argued that the trial court erred in denying…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
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