Opinion ID: 2082633
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: commission's status

Text: [4, 5] In rejecting the commission's status as a proper party defendant, we endorse the principle enunciated in Boston & Maine R.R. v. State, 77 N.H. 437, 93 A. 306 (1915), a case involving an appeal brought pursuant to the precursor statute of the current RSA ch. 541. This court rejected the status of a quasi-judicial administrative agency as a proper party defendant in a proceeding challenging one of its decisions. The court stated: The impropriety of calling upon the commission to appear as defendants, presumably to defend their action in the matter appealed from is manifest .... Id. at 438, 93 A. at 307. This principle was reinforced subsequently in Grafton County Elec. Light & Power Co. v. State, 77 N.H. 490, 500, 93 A. 1028, 1031 (1915). Nevertheless, since that time, the bench and bar have ignored the essence of these two decisions, and allowed quasi-judicial agencies to appear as party defendants before this court. We will no longer countenance this practice. We strongly endorse the policy of Boston & Me. R.R. v. State supra, and Grafton County Elec. Light & Power v. State supra , and hold that henceforth, in certiorari proceedings, unless otherwise provided for by statute or rule, a commission or administrative agency should not be named party defendant except in special and extraordinary circumstances. This rule shall also apply to all appeals brought under RSA ch. 541.