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Gordon MacDonald
2021 - Present
2031
4
Gordon MacDonald is the New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice. He assumed office on March 4, 2021. His current term ends on November 27, 2031.
In New Hampshire, the position of chief justice is a specific seat on the court (similar to the Supreme Court of the United States) rather than a peer-selected leadership position. Governor Chris Sununu (R) nominated him to succeed former Chief Justice Robert Lynn on January 7, 2021, and the New Hampshire Executive Council voted 4-1 to confirm his nomination on January 22, 2021.[1][2] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
MacDonald served as New Hampshire attorney general from 2017 to 2021.[3]
Biography
MacDonald was born in Los Angeles, California. He earned a bachelor's degree in government from Dartmouth College in 1983 and a J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1994. Between college and law school, MacDonald worked as a legislative assistant, legislative director, and chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Gordon Humphrey (R). He worked on Vice President Dan Quayle's (R) presidential campaign in 1999 and Humphrey's New Hampshire gubernatorial campaign from 1999 to 2000.[4]
Before his appointment as attorney general, MacDonald was a private attorney. He served as chair of the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners and was a trustee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. MacDonald worked as a pro bono attorney with the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Emergency Project.[3]
Appointments
2021
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R) first appointed Gordon MacDonald to the New Hampshire Supreme Court on June 5, 2019. In July 2019, the executive council rejected nominee Gordon MacDonald by a 3-2 vote. On January 7, 2021, Gov. Sununu renominated MacDonald. He was confirmed in a 4-1 vote by the executive council on January 22, 2021.[5] MacDonald succeeded Chief Justice Robert J. Lynn, who retired on August 23, 2019, after having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 years old. MacDonald was Gov. Sununu's third nominee to the five-member court.[6]
Under New Hampshire law, when a vacancy occurred on the court, the governor nominated a successor from a list submitted by the New Hampshire Judicial Selection Commission. The executive council then voted to approve the nomination and make the appointment.[7]
2017
Sununu nominated MacDonald as New Hampshire attorney general on March 22, 2017.[8] The New Hampshire Executive Council unanimously confirmed MacDonald on April 5, 2017.[9] MacDonald served as attorney general until his nomination to the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 2021.[10][3]
State supreme court judicial selection in New Hampshire
- See also: Judicial selection in New Hampshire
The five justices on the New Hampshire Supreme Court are selected by gubernatorial appointment. The governor's nominee must be confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council.[11][12] The five members of the executive council are chosen every two years in partisan elections.[13] As of April 2023, it had been customary since 2000 for the governor to establish a judicial selection commission by executive order to seek out, evaluate, and recommend candidates for nomination.[14][15]
Justices may serve on the court until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70.[16]
Qualifications
State law does not stipulate any particular qualifications for appointment to the supreme court.[17]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is selected by gubernatorial appointment. The position of chief justice is a specific seat on the court rather than a temporary leadership position.[18][17]
Vacancies
Vacancies on the court are filled through gubernatorial appointment. A judicial selection commission recommends candidates to the governor, the governor selects a candidate, and the candidate must be confirmed by the Executive Council.[17] There is one current vacancy on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, out of the court's five judicial positions. The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
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Officeholder New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice |
Footnotes
- ↑ NHPR, "Sununu To Again Nominate MacDonald for Chief Justice Position," January 6, 2021
- ↑ Concord Monitor, "Attorney General Gordon MacDonald confirmed as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 4-1 vote," January 22, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 New Hampshire Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court - Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald," accessed July 11, 2021
- ↑ NHPR, "Application and questionnaire for New Hampshire judicial candidates," April 15, 2019
- ↑ NHPR.org, "Second Time's The Charm For MacDonald, As Council Okays His Bid For N.H. Chief Justice," January 22, 2021
- ↑ New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, "Governor Chris Sununu to Nominate Attorney General Gordon MacDonald as Next Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court," June 4, 2019
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: New Hampshire," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ U.S. News and World Report, "Sununu Nominates Manchester Attorney for Attorney General," March 21, 2017
- ↑ WMUR Manchester, "Gordon MacDonald unanimously confirmed as New Hampshire Attorney General," April 5, 2017
- ↑ WMUR Manchester, "AG MacDonald temporarily steps down after chief justice nomination," January 8, 2021
- ↑ New Hampshire Judicial Branch, "About the Supreme Court," accessed August 24, 2021
- ↑ NH.gov, "State Constitution - Executive Power - Governor," accessed August 24, 2021 (Article 46)
- ↑ State of New Hampshire Executive Council, "About Us," accessed August 24, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Selection in the States: New Hampshire | Overview," accessed August 24, 2021
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Executive order 2000-9: An order establishing a Judicial Selection Commission," June 30, 2000
- ↑ The General Court of New Hampshire, "New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated Title LI," accessed August 24, 2021 (Section 493:2)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: New Hampshire | Selection of Judges," accessed August 24, 2021
- ↑ While a 2001 law amended Section 490:1 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes to make the chief justice position a rotating position based on seniority, the New Hampshire Supreme Court found this law to be unconstitutional in 2004.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert J. Lynn |
New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice 2021-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Joe Foster (D) |
Attorney General of New Hampshire 2017-2021 |
Succeeded by John Formella (R) |
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Hampshire • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Hampshire
State courts:
New Hampshire Supreme Court • New Hampshire Superior Courts • New Hampshire Circuit Courts • New Hampshire Probate Courts • New Hampshire District Court • New Hampshire Family Division
State resources:
Courts in New Hampshire • New Hampshire judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Hampshire
