In 1973, New Hampshire was among the first states to adopt a code of judicial conduct that had been approved just a few months earlier by the American Bar Association. With that action, New Hampshire formally recognized that supervision over the conduct of judges is essential to sustain public confidence in the justice system. Since 1977, the New Hampshire Supreme Court has overseen the disciplinary process for judges through the Judicial Conduct Committee.
The committee operates independently of the Supreme Court. To reach the JCC, contact:
Robert T. Mittelholzer , Esquire, Executive Secretary
Committee on Judicial Conduct
74 Exeter Road
Newmarket, NH 03857
Phone: (603) 292-1825
Fax: (603) 292-1827
THE CODE OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT
The New Hampshire Supreme Court in 2001 approved a modernized revision of the Code of Judicial Conduct that sets out detailed ethical standards and provides specific guidance to judges for maintaining those standards in their personal and professional life. Supreme Court Rule 38: Code of Judicial Conduct.
The updated code is largely based on the American Bar Association's 1990 "Model Code of Judicial Conduct" which is the standard used by many court systems around the country. In developing the revised code, the justices also considered New Hampshire's existing code of judicial conduct and recommendations made in January by the Supreme Court's "Task Force for the Renewal of Judicial Conduct Procedures."