Gordon MacDonald Sworn in as New Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court

Gordon MacDonald Sworn in as New Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court

 

CONCORD, N.H. - The New Hampshire Judicial Branch announces that Gordon J. MacDonald is the new chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He was sworn in today by Governor Christopher T. Sununu during a ceremony in the Supreme Court’s courtroom.  MacDonald is the 37th justice to lead the state's highest court.  

“Attorney General Gordon MacDonald is one of the most highly qualified individuals ever to serve as Chief Justice,” noted Governor Sununu, “and he will lead New Hampshire’s highest court with distinction.” MacDonald served as New Hampshire’s attorney general from April 13, 2017 until March 4, 2021. Prior to becoming attorney general, MacDonald was in private practice, most recently as a litigation partner in the Manchester office of Nixon Peabody LLP. 

MacDonald has an extensive record of service to the legal profession and community. As attorney general, MacDonald served on the Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness and he co-chaired the National Association of Attorneys General Committees on Charities and Training.   

While in private practice, MacDonald chaired the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners and, from 2014 to 2017, served as a trustee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. He chaired the Supreme Court’s Commission on the New Hampshire Bar in the 21st Century. MacDonald served on the Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and chaired the Leadership Council of the Campaign for Legal Services, which raises funds for civil legal services. He was a volunteer attorney for the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Emergency Project and devoted hundreds of hours as a pro bono attorney. 

MacDonald attended public schools in Hanover. He graduated cum laude with high honors in his major (Government) from Dartmouth College in 1983. He earned his juris doctor from Cornell Law School, graduating magna cum laude, in 1994. At Cornell Law, he was a member of the Order of the Coif and an article editor for Cornell Law Review. Following graduation,MacDonald served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Norman H. Stahl of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Concord.

To view the recorded ceremony, go to the New Hampshire Judicial Branch livestream website or https://livestream.com/nhjb/events/9373644/videos/218333416

Media Contact: Susan Warner Communications Manager NH Judicial Branch One Charles Doe Drive Concord, NH 03301 802-299-6945