New Hampshire State Courts

New Hampshire’s judicial system has a federal district court, as well as a number of trial courts which have either general jurisdiction or subject-matter jurisdiction and specific purposes. The trial courts can, if needed, feed into the supreme court which has the ultimate jurisdiction to deal with the appeals from courts lower down the hierarchy in the judicial system.

The one federal court is the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Should there be appeals from this court, they will be referred to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Superior Courts of New Hampshire are the courts which have general jurisdiction. They deal with both civil and criminal cases, and if there are any appeals from these courts they go to the Supreme Court for further hearings.

Superior Courts can deal with a number of different claims, including property and contract claims that are over $1,500. Both felonies and civil issues can go through these courts. Cases which claim for damages exceeding the dollar value of $25,000 typically go through these courts in New Hampshire.

The lower courts in the hierarchy have been combined into 10 different circuit courts. Almost all of the state’s cases get heard in these courts. They have their own divisions within. For instance, the probate division, which deals with estates, inheritance and wills as well as adoptions.

The district division has subject-matter jurisdiction over motor claims and a number of civil cases. Contract law and other disputes can go through these courts.

The circuit courts’ family division also deals with child support, guardianship, parental issues and juvenile crime. There are 28 such family divisions in New Hampshire. 

https://www.nh.gov/

Court Name:	New Hampshire Supreme Court
Address:	One Charles Doe Drive Concord, NH 03301
Phone:	(603) 271-2646
Website URL:	https://www.courts.state.nh.us/supreme/index.htm

Intermediate and Supreme Courts

There is no intermediate court within the state. This means that appeals normally go to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. Many claims from other administrative agencies and writs are dealt with from the Supreme Court, which also has the responsibility of overseeing the judicial system in the state. For instance, it will monitor the conduct of a number of legal professionals operating in New Hampshire.

Types of Courts in New Hampshire

How to Find New Hampshire Court Records Online

Our search tool makes it quick and easy to search for New Hampshire court records. A wide range of court records are made public including sentencing details, criminal records and much more.

In line with the Freedom of Information Act, The New Hampshire Right to Know Law protects the right that citizens have to see public records. This means that local government records including court details can be seen by those residing in the state. Most modern records have now been made available digitally, though in some older cases they may need to be specifically requested.

New Hampshire Counties