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Category: Granite State,
N.H. officer to remain on ‘Laurie list’
A Grafton County Superior Court judge has denied a New Hampshire police officer’s request to be removed from the Exculpatory Evidence Schedule, also known as the Laurie List.
…The Laurie List is intended to let prosecutors know which officers have truthfulness or credibility issues. That way, they can make defendants, who are entitled to all evidence that is exculpatory, aware of such issues.
The New Hampshire ACLU filed a motion to become a party to the case. The group argued that Hornick had no legal authority to remove the officer and that it needs to protect criminal defendants’ rights because no one else does.
“Every person has a right to due process when interacting with the criminal justice system, and that includes evidence that police officer witnesses may have been dishonest in the past,” said Henry Klementowicz, staff attorney at the N.H. ACLU. “This lawsuit further highlights why the list should be made a public document.”
Valley News – N.H. officer to remain on ‘Laurie list’
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NH State House Decorum: No ruling on necklace worn to support gun rights, but don’t bring ammo into prison
“First, I would acknowledge that when we did our site visit to the state prison, I received some feedback that was not positive,” said Cushing.
“It involved someone who, for whatever reason, brought ammo in, and someone who was inappropriate to a staff member. That just cannot happen, and I would hope as a chair, I don’t have to tell people that when we are going to a state institution to be on their best behavior. I just expect it.”
…Cushing urged members of both parties to avoid props at public hearings that suggest their minds are made up before people even testify.
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‘You couldn’t spend a dime?’: Jay Inslee ticks off the wrong state – POLITICO
The DGA did not spend a cent on television advertising for Kelly — a stark contrast to the $645,000 the RGA spent on ads for Sununu, according to Advertising Analytics. And in the final few weeks of the race, multiple internal polls on both sides showed the contest had tightened. Kelly personally pleaded with Inslee and the DGA to pour more money into the race saying that it was still winnable, according to Democrats with knowledge of those conversations.
…“We were extremely surprised that the DGA did not invest more resources in the race, especially in the closing days,” the official said. “Instead, the DGA invested resources in places like Alaska, a race that was already lost for them. And they invested significant resources in states like Rhode Island, which ended up being a blowout for Gov. Raimondo.”
…“I happen to think that Molly was a great candidate and I think she could have won,” Dean said. “A lot of my New Hampshire friends agree with me. I can’t get into the merits of this argument but the thing that interests me is because it’s New Hampshire they have a special role in making people’s lives miserable after the fact.”
‘You couldn’t spend a dime?’: Jay Inslee ticks off the wrong state – POLITICO
[snicker] Good luck in New Hampshire, Jay!
Pay-to-Stay: Families of NH juvenile offenders are forced to pay for costs of care
…When juveniles are incarcerated at the Sununu Youth Services Center or other treatment centers, are enrolled in Children in Need of Services (CHINS), [or] are placed into foster care, an elaborate system kicks in to force parents to contribute to the cost of that care.
Formulas come into play, Social Security benefits can be requisitioned, liens can be put on property, people can be hauled into court. Four thousand cases are currently open, the state says.
…Fees rack up quickly. An overnight stay at a secure or intensive facility can top $700 a day, and the state levies charges for services that range from family counseling ($86 an hour) to transportation ($21 an hour) to foster care ($23 per day). Collections continue four years after services end, meaning a person can be well into adulthood while a parent is still paying for their childhood misbehavior or other services.
…Most services continue to fall under the law requiring parental reimbursement: CHINS, whether voluntary or court-ordered; children judged delinquent and placed in the Sununu Center or other residential programs, whether voluntarily or court-ordered; and court-ordered services in cases of abuse and neglect.
…Parents of a minor who is a mother are responsible for their grandchild, if the child is housed at the facility where the minor mother lives. No mention is made of responsibility for the child’s father or his parents.
…When youth become involved with the juvenile justice system, their parents can be desperate for help, she said. They will sign anything without realizing the implications, she said. Then the bill arrives.
Jeezus….
Oh, and the mother who signed her kid away to the courts only to spend all of her time begging the courts to give the kid back? This is what happens when you think the police and courts are going to help you parent. They’re not. They’re really, really not.
Concord Monitor: Shaheen is a solid presence in the Senate
Shaheen has been in Washington for a decade now, and can be counted on to be the adult in the room where others are acting like children. If she is re-elected, as we assume she will be, she will move up the Senate ranks and be in an even stronger position to advocate on behalf of her state.
Shaheen was New Hampshire’s first female governor, its first female senator and the first woman in U.S. history to become both a governor and a senator.
…She’s skilled at finding the common ground that allows her to sponsor bipartisan legislation.
…She is too moderate for our tastes, but she is trusted, respected and effective. She was the prime sponsor of 11 bills that have become law.
…Shaheen already has more seniority than two-thirds of her fellow senators, and seniority matters. She fills some of the most important roles in Congress as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Appropriations and Armed Services Committees and as one of six members of the Senate Ethics Committee. Re-election will allow her to have even more impact.
Editorial: A solid presence in the Senate
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Democrats Denied Use of Voter Data In Court
Democrats challenging a voter registration law in New Hampshire won’t be able to use the state’s voter database to argue the law unfairly burdens those who are more likely to support their party, the state Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
The court ruled on a dispute that arose as part of lawsuit brought by the New Hampshire Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters over a 2017 law requiring additional documentation from voters who register within 30 days of an election.
Supporters argue it will increase trust in elections by requiring people to prove they live where they vote, but opponents argue it is confusing, unnecessary and intimidating.
Valley News – Democrats Denied N.H. Voter Data
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GUINTA RELEASES FIRST TV CAMPAIGN AD
GUINTA RELEASES FIRST TV CAMPAIGN AD | Guinta for Congress
Um, Dimbulb? you picked the wrong horse to back. Guinta was not on your side.
‘You couldn’t spend a dime?’: Jay Inslee ticks off the wrong state
Inslee’s decision while he chaired the Democratic Governors Association not to invest in New Hampshire’s competitive governor’s race last year still burns some of the state’s leading Democrats.
…Under Inslee, the DGA picked up seven seats in 2018 — a record number for Democrats in the last two decades. Yet in the race that mattered most in New Hampshire, the umbrella governors group was nowhere to be found. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Molly Kelly ultimately lost 53 percent to 46 percent in what otherwise turned out to be a strong Democratic year.
…“You spent $130 million to $150 million — are you serious? And you couldn’t spend a dime to help Molly Kelly win her race?” Reardon said, referring to roughly the amount the DGA raised in 2017-18 election cycle. “I’d love to see the breakdown on how much they spent on losing gubernatorial races in other states. My hunch is a fraction of that would have been a help in New Hampshire.”
…The DGA did not spend a cent on television advertising for Kelly — a stark contrast to the $645,000 the RGA spent on ads for Sununu, according to Advertising Analytics.
…“We were extremely surprised that the DGA did not invest more resources in the race, especially in the closing days,” the official said. “Instead, the DGA invested resources in places like Alaska, a race that was already lost for them. And they invested significant resources in states like Rhode Island, which ended up being a blowout for Gov. Raimondo. I still think even with resources by Dems, Sununu would have still won. But if DGA would have invested significant resources from the beginning, it could have been a different outcome.”
‘You couldn’t spend a dime?’: Jay Inslee ticks off the wrong state – POLITICO
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Bus terminal privatization questioned – News
None of the concerns expressed at the public hearing dealt with the Portsmouth facility. The Dover-related concerns came primarily from Alder Lane abutters, as expressed by 21-year resident Theresa Proia.
She drew a contrast between state officials, who worked with the neighborhood when the facility was originally constructed in 2008, and with C&J, which operates the facility.
“They were very good to our neighborhood,” she said of state officials. “They were transparent. We talked about the plans for the whole parking lot, the lighting, the fencing, and the trees that would be placed on both sides of the fence to protect the aesthetics of the neighborhood.”
With C&J, she said, trees were removed and new parking spaces added without any consultation.
“Space have been paved and additional parking has been put in with no transparency whatsoever,” said Proia. “So you can understand that our neighborhood is very concerned about moving forward with this process, and whether privatization would be good for us.”
Bus terminal privatization questioned – News – seacoastonline.com – Portsmouth, NH
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Some Parting Thoughts After Six Years On The Executive Council
Some Parting Thoughts After Six Years On The Executive Council
What a quaint, bizarrely unique thing the Council is….
New Hampshire Police Arrested a Man for Being Mean to Them on the Internet
There’s a long history of law enforcement officials using defamation laws to silence their critics. Under English common law, the crime of “seditious libel” prohibited criticism of the government because it could lead to insurrection. And in the Sedition Act of 1798, Congress criminalized false statements criticizing the federal government.
But, as the Supreme Court recognized in a landmark 1964 decision, New York Times Company v. Sullivan, the First Amendment was meant to repudiate the whole notion of seditious libel.
…In its decision upholding the newspaper’s First Amendment rights, the Supreme Court recognized the “profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.”
….In states that still have criminal defamation laws on the books, public officials still use them to prosecute their critics.
For example: The editor and publisher of a small newspaper in Kansas were convicted of criminal defamation after the paper published an article suggesting that the mayor lived in another county and was therefore ineligible for public office. …A Kansas man was charged with criminal defamation after he posted a yard sign criticizing his local government’s inaction on a water drainage problem; the lawsuit was dropped after the ACLU got involved.
…The Exeter Police Department’s criminal complaint against Frese is a textbook example of the use and abuse of criminal defamation laws. Someone who has had a history of trouble with the police went to the internet to air his grievances, and the police department itself decided to prosecute him[.]
This is absurd, and it’s a telling reminder of what happens when law enforcement is given the power to crack down on expression. It’s time we toss criminal defamation laws into the dustbin of history, where they belong.
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Democrats Calling For Reform Win Two County Attorney Seats
County attorneys oversee law enforcement and set criminal justice priorities in each county.
Only two county attorney races were close – and in both, Democrats beat out Republican incumbents with a promise of criminal justice reform.
In Merrimack County, public defender Robin Davis won after she was nominated as a write-in Democratic candidate during the primaries.
…Davis plans to prioritize rehabilitation for people with drug charges and look at building an alternative sentencing program for some non-citizens to reduce their risk of deportation after arrest.
Democrats Calling For Reform Win Two County Attorney Seats | New Hampshire Public Radio
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