# United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire

The United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire (in case citations, D.N.H.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of New Hampshire. The Warren B. Rudman U.S. Courthouse for the New Hampshire district is located in Concord.
Appeals from the District of New Hampshire are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of February 22, 2025, the acting United States attorney is Jay McCormack.

## Current judges

As of April 2, 2022:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 17 | Chief Judge | Landya B. McCafferty | Concord | 1962 | 2013–present | 2018–present | — | Obama |
| 16 | District Judge | Joseph Normand Laplante | Concord | 1965 | 2007–present | 2011–2018 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 18 | District Judge | Samantha D. Elliott | Concord | 1975 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 14 | Senior Judge | Paul Barbadoro | Concord | 1955 | 1992–2021 | 1997–2004 | 2021–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 15 | Senior Judge | Steven J. McAuliffe | Concord | 1948 | 1992–2013 | 2004–2011 | 2013–present | G.H.W. Bush |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | John Sullivan | NH | 1740–1795 | 1789–1795 | — | — | Washington | death |
| 2 | John Pickering | NH | 1737–1805 | 1795–1804 | — | — | Washington | impeachment and conviction |
| 3 | John Samuel Sherburne | NH | 1757–1830 | 1804–1830 | — | — | Jefferson | death |
| 4 | Matthew Harvey | NH | 1781–1866 | 1830–1866 | — | — | Jackson | death |
| 5 | Daniel Clark | NH | 1809–1891 | 1866–1891 | — | — | A. Johnson | death |
| 6 | Edgar Aldrich | NH | 1848–1921 | 1891–1921 | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
| 7 | George Franklin Morris | NH | 1866–1953 | 1921–1943 | — | 1943–1953 | Harding | death |
| 8 | Aloysius Joseph Connor | NH | 1895–1967 | 1944–1967 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 9 | Hugh H. Bownes | NH | 1920–2003 | 1968–1977 | — | — | L. Johnson | elevation to 1st Cir. |
| 10 | Shane Devine | NH | 1926–1999 | 1978–1992 | 1979–1992 | 1992–1999 | Carter | death |
| 11 | Martin F. Loughlin | NH | 1923–2007 | 1979–1989 | — | 1989–1995 | Carter | retirement |
| 12 | Norman H. Stahl | NH | 1931–2023 | 1990–1992 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | elevation to 1st Cir. |
| 13 | Joseph A. Diclerico Jr. | NH | 1941–2022 | 1992–2007 | 1992–1997 | 2007–2022 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 14, 1830, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 16, 1830, and received commission the same day

## Chief judges

Chief Judge :
| Devine | 1979–1992 |
| Diclerico | 1992–1997 |
| Barbadoro | 1997–2004 |
| McAuliffe | 2004–2011 |
| Laplante | 2011–2018 |
| McCafferty | 2018–present |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat established on September 24, 1789 by 1 Stat. 73 ||||
| Sullivan | 1789–1795 |
| Pickering | 1795–1804 |
| Sherburne | 1804–1830 |
| Harvey | 1830–1866 |
| Clark | 1866–1891 |
| Aldrich | 1891–1921 |
| Morris | 1921–1943 |
| Connor | 1944–1967 |
| Bownes | 1968–1977 |
| Devine | 1978–1992 |
| Barbadoro | 1992–2021 |
| Elliott | 2021–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Loughlin | 1979–1989 |
| Stahl | 1990–1992 |
| McAuliffe | 1992–2013 |
| McCafferty | 2013–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Diclerico | 1992–2007 |
| Laplante | 2007–present |

## U.S. attorneys

* John Samuel Sherburne (1789–1793)
* Edward St. Loe Livermore (1794–1797)
* Jeremiah Smith (1797–1800)
* Edward St. Loe Livermore (1801)
* John Samuel Sherburne (1802–1804)
* Jonathan Steele (1804)
* Daniel Humphreys (1804–1827)
* William Plumer Jr. (1827–1828)
* Daniel L. Christie (1828–1829)
* Samuel Cushman (1829–1830)
* Daniel Meserve Durell (1830–1834)
* John P. Hale (1834–1841)
* Joel Eastman (1841–1845)
* Franklin Pierce (1845–1847)
* Josiah Minot (1847–1850)
* William Weir Stickney (1850–1853)
* John H. George (1853–1858)
* Anson S. Marshall (1858–1861)
* Charles W. Rand (1861–1871)
* Henry P. Rolf (1871–1874)
* Joshua G. Hall (1874–1879)
* Ossian Ray (1879–1880)
* Charles H. Burns (1881–1885)
* John Samuel Hatch Frink (1885–1890)
* James W. Remick (1890–1894)
* Oliver Ernesto Branch (1894–1898)
* Charles J. Hamblett (1898–1907)
* Charles W. Hoitt (1907–1914)
* Fred H. Brown (1914–1922)
* Raymond V. Smith (1922–1934)
* Alexander Murchie (1934–1944)
* Dennis E. Sullivan (1945–1949)
* Robert D. Branch (1949)
* John J. Sheehan (1949–1954)
* Maurice P. Bois (1954–1961)
* William H. Craig (1961–1963)
* John D. McCarthy (1963)
* Louis M. Janelle (1963–1969)
* David A. Brock (1969–1972)
* William B. Cullimore (1972–1973)
* Carroll F. Jones (1973)
* William J. Deachman, III (1973–1977)
* William A. Shaheen (1977–1981)
* Robert J. Kennedy (1981)
* W. Stephen Thayer, III (1981–1984)
* Bruce E. Kenna (1984–1985)
* Richard V. Wiebusch (1985–1988)
* Peter E. Papps (1988–1989)
* Jeffrey R. Howard (1989–1992)
* Peter E. Papps (1992–1993)
* Paul M. Gagnon (1993–2001)
* Gretchen Leah Witt (2001)
* Thomas P. Colantuono (2001–2009)
* John P. Kacavas (2009–2015)
* Emily Gray Rice (2015–2017)
* Scott W. Murray (2018–2021)
* John J. Farley (acting)
* Jane E. Young (2021-2025)
* Jay McCormack (acting) (2025-)