Per Report: NH Courts Lack Diversity

The NH Women’s Foundation published a new Gender Matters report: Women in the NH Judiciary, highlighting the inequitable representation of women and people of color in the NH judicial branch.

Only 38% of all NH state court judges are women, with smaller ratios of women judges in NH’s Superior Courts and the NH Supreme Court. There is currently only one person of color serving as a judge at any level of the NH state judicial system, and that person is also the only woman of color. In New England, NH is tied with Rhode Island for the lowest percent of women on the state Supreme Court (20% or 1 in 5 justices). 

“Representation matters in all branches of government,” said Tanna Clews, CEO of the NH Women’s Foundation. “As we celebrate the long-overdue milestone of the first Black woman nominated to the US Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, we see many opportunities in NH to increase gender and racial diversity among NH judges.” 

This report highlights the significant role Governors have in achieving gender parity in the NH judiciary. Governor Hassan’s administration appointed the highest percentage of women at 48%. The report also discusses the impact of the Judicial Selection Committee, NH women of historic significance in the judiciary, and the efforts of the NH Women’s Bar Association’s “Path to the Bench” sessions.  

The NH Women’s Foundation makes the following policy recommendations to increase gender and racial diversity in the NH Judiciary:

1. Governors should nominate more women and people of color at a rate that would achieve equity in all levels of the NH state judicial branch comparable with NH’s population.
2. The Governor should appoint members with gender and racial diversity to the Judicial Selection Commission.
3. With safeguards to protect the anonymity of the application process, the Judicial Selection Commission should publish the number or percent of women and people of color who have applied for judgeships and the number or percent they recommend to the Governor for each vacancy.
4. The NH Bar Association should collect and publish the gender and racial diversity of its membership on a regular basis. This data would be the basis to understanding trends in the pipeline to the bench.
5. Women attorneys could benefit from a mentorship program that supports career trajectory and opportunities including judgeship.

Read the full report at nhwomensfoundation.org/gm2022judiciary    

The NH Women’s Foundation invests in opportunity and equality for women and girls in the Granite State through research, education, advocacy, grantmaking and philanthropy. Learn more at nhwomensfoundation.org.