Statement by the New Hampshire Judicial Branch on the Events of November 15, 2021 in Salem, Massachusetts

CONCORD, NH -- Immediately upon learning of the events in Salem, Massachusetts on November 15, 2021, New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald called for an internal review of the court case in which a domestic violence petition was denied. This internal review is being led by Circuit Court Judge Susan B. Carbon, a nationally recognized expert on domestic violence and a former director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice.  The Judicial Branch anticipates the internal review will be completed by next week and following submission of the findings to the Supreme Court, they will be made public.  

In addition, the New Hampshire Judicial Branch is also in the process of creating a multidisciplinary task force to conduct a systemic review of domestic violence cases in the court system.  New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi will chair the task force.  In addition to representatives from the Judicial Branch, the task force will include a broad range of domestic violence stakeholders including the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense counsel, and others.  The Task Force will seek assistance from national court consultants, with expertise in domestic and sexual violence.  Additional details regarding the task force will be provided next week.