HB 1501-FN
limiting judicial immunity.
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 | INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/12/2026 |
| LSR number | 2479 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H10 |
Where it stands
House: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
Every floor vote on this bill was a voice or division vote, so there is no record of how individual legislators voted.
Sponsors
DeRoy, Susan(R) Straf 3, Bailey, Glenn(R) Straf 2, Bernardy, JD(R) Rock 36, Kaczynski, Thomas(R) Straf 5, Kelley, Diane(R) Hills 32, Nalevanko, Rich(R) Ches 9, Perez, Kristine(R) Rock 16, Potenza, Kelley(R) Straf 19, Sabourin dit Choinière, Matt(R) Rock 30, Sellers, John(R) Graf 10
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
- January 28, 2026Public Hearing: 01/28/2026 10:30 am GP 230
- January 28, 2026Executive Session: 01/28/2026 10:30 am GP 230
- February 2, 2026Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 01/28/2026 (Vote 13-5; RC)
- February 2, 2026Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass
- February 12, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA DV 261-94 02/12/2026
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.
Inexpedient to Legislate
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 proposed to limit judicial immunity to allow for criminal or civil remedies for certain actions by the judicial branch. The language in the bill is vague, and uses undefined terms. The losing party in court proceedings not infrequently sees the decision not to be based on facts or law and might choose to challenge the decision claiming that the judge acted maliciously or for corrupt purposes. Under current law, if a judge acted outside of his or her judicial role, the judge is not immune from civil or criminal liability, and if the judge violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, the matter may be referred to the Judicial Conduct Committee. Therefore, to the extent that there might be a problem, current law provides for appropriate action. Vote 13-5.
Minority — OUGHT TO PASS
No one is above the law. That is something we hear echoed on a very regular basis; New Hampshire continues to have concerns with the multiple issues that have impacted our citizens and there appears to be no or minimal accountability for the justices. We need to have all those connected with the judicial system here in New Hampshire be accountable. We heard in testimony that “the problems are not isolated to one division. They affect access to justice, public safety, constitutional rights and trust.” It does not appear that the judicial conduct committee is helping in this matter and dismisses or states that complaints are outside scope. Few complaints result in action. “When judicial officers operate with near total insulation amid evidence of systematic failures” it is time to do something, and this bill is a start.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 28, 2026 at 10:30Judiciary public hearing recording 0:45:58–1:32:46, about 47 min (estimated)
- January 28, 2026 at 10:30Judiciary executive session recording (start time not identified)
- February 12, 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]