HB 1322-FN
reestablishing the judicial conduct commission.
Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗Open this bill in the searchable view → · Follow this bill by RSS
On the record
Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.
| Status | HOUSE |
|---|---|
| In the House | DIED ON THE TABLE |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/19/2026 |
| LSR number | 2982 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H10 |
Where it stands
House: DIED ON THE TABLE
Every floor vote on this bill was a voice or division vote, so there is no record of how individual legislators voted.
The bill was set aside during the session and never taken back up, so it died when the session ended.
Sponsors
Sabourin dit Choinière, Matt(R) Rock 30, Bailey, Glenn(R) Straf 2, Burnham, Claudine(R) Straf 2, DeRoy, Susan(R) Straf 3, Kelley, Diane(R) Hills 32, Nalevanko, Rich(R) Ches 9, Potenza, Kelley(R) Straf 19, Sirois, Shane(R) Hills 32, Terry, Paul(R) Belk 7
Prime sponsor in bold. From the General Court sponsor file.
What happened
Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.
- January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Judiciary
- February 4, 2026Public Hearing: 02/04/2026 02:30 pm GP 230
- February 4, 2026Executive Session: 02/04/2026 02:30 pm GP 230
- February 10, 2026Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/04/2026 (Vote 15-1; RC)
- February 10, 2026Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass
- February 19, 2026Lay HB1322 on Table (Rep. Lynn): MA DV 250-91 02/19/2026
- August 19, 2026Died on Table, Session ended 08/19/2026
Votes
Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.
Lay HB1322 on Table (Rep. Lynn)
Decided on a division vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
Committee reports
Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.
Majority — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
This bill seeks to re-establish under legislative authority a Judicial Conduct Commission to investigate allegations of misconduct against judges and other judicial officers. When the legislature previously created such a body, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional, holding that, while the legislature has the power to impeach and remove judges, the imposition of lesser discipline is beyond legislative power and resides with the Judicial Branch. Although this bill makes an attempt to get around the earlier Supreme Court decision by asserting that the purpose of the new commission would be to ascertain if grounds exist for impeachment, the bill contains language that would allow investigations of lesser, non-impeachable levels of misconduct. To this extent at least, the bill would likely be found unconstitutional. More importantly, even if limited strictly to impeachment, the bill is simply unnecessary because the legislature already has the process for initiating impeachment procedures in the rare instances where this is appropriate. There is simply no basis for creating a permanent commission with a roving mandate to search for instances of potentially impeachable offenses committed by judges. Creating 36 13 FEBRUARY 2026 HOUSE RECORD such a body would fundamentally undermine the independence of the judiciary and violate the separation of powers enshrined in the New Hampshire Constitution, causing a chilling effect on impartial decision-making and incentivizing rulings that please the majority rather than uphold the law. Vote 15-1.
Minority — OUGHT TO PASS
NH had a Judicial Conduct Commission until certain aspects of its powers were ruled to be unconstitutional by the NH Supreme Court. It is the minority’s position that this proposed legislation satisfies all constitutional objections. The minority also believes that the legislature, which is accountable to the people, should reestablish appropriate oversight of the branch of government that is not.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- February 4, 2026 at 14:30Judiciary public hearing recording 5:00:13–5:37:30, about 37 min (estimated)
- February 4, 2026 at 14:30Judiciary executive session recording (start time not identified)
- February 19, 2026House floor debate recording (start time not identified)
Page generated 2026-09-03 from data published by the New Hampshire General Court. Granite Record is an independent project, not affiliated with the General Court. The official record always takes precedence. Corrections: [email protected]