New Hampshire Court Docket Search

New Hampshire Court Dockets play a crucial role in the day-to-day activities of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch legal system because it serves as an official record of all court proceedings in the state.

The primary function of a Court Docket in the New Hampshire Judicial Branch is to serve as the primary source of information on a court case's activities and events, including hearing dates, case numbers, the names of parties involved, and the outcomes of previous hearings.

New Hampshire Court Docket can be of utmost importance to professionals in the legal field, law enforcement officers, and concerned citizens. For legal professionals, New Hampshire Court Records and Dockets provide essential information for preparing for hearings, drafting pleadings, and building a case. In addition, New Hampshire law enforcement officers in the state can use the information obtained from Court Dockets for investigations and to track the progress of cases they are involved in.

What is a Court Docket in New Hampshire?

A New Hampshire court docket is a chronological log that summarizes the complete history of each case and the court proceedings. A docket will include all filings such as pleadings, briefs, declarations, exhibits, orders, and judgments and court notations such as fee payments or date extensions.

An individual or organization can use the unique docket number assigned to every case to locate information such as the parties' names, dates of court appearances, and a brief overview of the claims or charges. Moreover, court dockets assist in identifying court filings, including the pleadings, motions, briefs, etc., filed in a case.

The New Hampshire Court Registrar where the case was filed maintains the dockets and court filings. Although dockets and court filings are not considered "case law" and have no precedential value, their information is useful in comprehending why a court made a specific decision or opinion. Common court documents include complaints, answers, motions, petitions, and briefs. More rarely, courts will also make transcripts or recordings of trials and oral arguments.

Some clerks have made dockets and court filings available electronically. However, the availability of these resources differs by court and period. Even in courts where these materials are available electronically, not all are available in a free and open public database. Many of these databases limit access to legal professionals and charge a fee for access.

Where to Find a Court Docket in New Hampshire

The following are the places to find a court docket with ease in New Hampshire:

New Hampshire Judicial Branch Online Case Search
New Hampshire Superior Court Clerk's Office
New Hampshire Circuit Court Clerk's Office
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) system for federal cases.

New Hampshire Judicial Branch Online Search: New Hampshire Judicial Branch online Docket search platform is a free portal to help requesters to locate court dockets for cases filed in the New Hampshire Circuit Court, District Division, and the New Hampshire Superior Court.

The electronic search platform is available on the New Hampshire Judicial Branch website, and it is available for any interested person to search for case details and court dockets easily. This medium is an excellent method to quickly get information from a court docket, without having to visit a courthouse or contact the Court clerk's office.

New Hampshire Superior Court Clerk Office: Every county in New Hampshire has its own Clerk's Office where one can get information. So, a party that is involved in a case of members of the public can walk up to the court clerk's office and make an official request for the docket of interest.

New Hampshire Circuit Court Clerk's Office: Persons interested in New Hampshire Circuit Court Docket, District Division, such individuals or organizations, will have to contact the Clerk's Office for the actual court where the case of interest has been filed.

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) system: For the cases in the federal court system, requesters for information concerning a case will have to do so through the PACER portal. PACER is an electronic public viewing service for federal court documents in the United States. It allows users to obtain case and docket information from the United States District Courts, Courts of Appeals, and Bankruptcy Courts.

How to Conduct a New Hampshire Court Docket Search?

Visit the website of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch, and click on the case access portal to view case information. Next, input the required search criteria and hit the search button. The requester will be directed to the page to input relevant information in the search fields, such as the case number, party name, or attorney name.

A list of cases that match the search criteria is presented upon completing the search. Visitors can select the case name or number to access the docket for that particular case that is of interest.

Also, for federal cases in New Hampshire, the court's electronic case management system keeps case files for federal civil cases filed in New Hampshire Court after June 1, 2004, and for federal criminal cases filed after January 1, 2005, in electronic format.

To review electronic documents of a federal case in New Hampshire, public members will need to register with the PACER portal online. Once that is done, a requester can login to the PACER portal to access the needed information.

What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in New Hampshire?

Here is the fundamental purpose of a court docket in New Hampshire:

Court Docket in New Hampshire is effective for record-keeping
Court Docket in New Hampshire serves as a case management tool
Court Docket in New Hampshire serves as a communication channel for parties involved in a case
It enables transparency in the New Hampshire Judicial Branch

Court Docket in New Hampshire is effective for record-keeping

In New Hampshire, the court docket is the database of records for all events and filings related to a specific case, such as court appearances, motions, orders, and other documents filed with the court. This information is useful in keeping case history records and ensuring that all parties involved can have stressless access to the same information.

Court Docket in New Hampshire serves as a case management tool

Court Docket in New Hampshire provides an enabling ground for an effective case management process by providing all the information about upcoming court cases such as dates and deadlines, also allowing court staff to track the progress of each case and ensure that such cases are moving forward in a timely manner.

Court Docket in New Hampshire serves as a communication channel for parties involved in a case

The court docket is used in New Hampshire to communicate information between the court and the parties involved in a case and between different courts or court personnel involved in the case's management.

It enables transparency in the New Hampshire Judicial Branch

New Hampshire Court Docket promotes transparency in day-to-day activities by ensuring that any information about a court case is made available to the public. This enables the public to easily access information about court proceedings and track the progress of cases of interest to them.

What Do Court Dockets Contain in New Hampshire?

As previously stated, a Court Docket in New Hampshire contains all of the court materials associated with the case. It is a timeline of a case's proceedings that courts use to keep track of all events, hearings, filings, and decisions in a case.

Most Court Dockets in New Hampshire include the following:

Case number: The unique number that is assigned to a case.
Court: The judiciary points to the case being filed.
Judge: The name of the judge to which the case is assigned to.
Case type: Whether the case is civil or criminal.
Case status: This tells the current status of the case, whether it is open or closed.
Case events: A chronological detailed list of all court events and filings that are related to the case, including court appearances, motions, orders, and other documents filed with the court.
Court dates: The dates of upcoming court appearances or hearings related to the case.
Case notes: Any additional notes or comments related to the case, such as decisions made by the judge or other case-related information.
Court costs: The fees or costs that are associated with the case, such as filing fees, court reporter fees, or other expenses incurred during the case.

Are New Hampshire Court Dockets Public Information?

Yes. The public can look at New Hampshire Court Dockets for information on most cases. In addition, the New Hampshire Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A, promotes government transparency and discourse with the public by ensuring public access to information created, accepted, or obtained by any public agency.

New Hampshire Right to Know Law is a set of statutes designed to ensure the public can access governmental bodies' public records. Any information created, accepted, or obtained by or on behalf of any public body is considered public records.

According to the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, all "citizens" can access New Hampshire's records. However, the Law does not specify whether they are New Hampshire or US citizens.

Note that despite the Law, not all court records may be accessed by the general public. For example, there are provisions for exempting confidential and other protected records statutorily. Hence, requesting parties may not access exempted court records unless authorized by a court order or state law.

What is a Court Docket Number in New Hampshire?

The Court Docket Number in New Hampshire is a unique case number assigned to every court case filed in the New Hampshire Judicial Branch. This number is a combination of letters and numbers that enables the court to easily identify and track a particular case's progress.

New Hampshire Court Docket Number in is normally assigned by the court clerk when a case was filed, and it is inputted on all court documents related to that case.

When a Docket Number is designated to any case, it has to be included on all papers submitted to the court. A Docket Number is typically composed of a two-digit number (to represent the year), the case type (either Civ. for civil cases or Cr. for criminal cases), a four- or five-digit case number, and the judge's initials in parentheses.

Also, each court in New Hampshire may have its own way of format for assigning Docket Numbers, and certain categories of cases may also have unique prefixes or designations. Whatever the case, the New Hampshire Court Dockets serves as a key tool for tracking Court cases in New Hampshire.

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in New Hampshire

The simple way to check a Court Docket Number Lookup in New Hampshire is as follows:

Ascertain the court to which the case was filed

Immediately one is able to trace the court at which the case was filed, Docket Number lookup in New Hampshire becomes easy to check. In New Hampshire, the Judicial branch consists of several types of courts: the district courts, superior courts, and the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Below is a review of the various types of court in NH.

New Hampshire Supreme

New Hampshire Supreme Court is the apex court in the state Judicial branch. It comprises the Chief Justice and four Associate Justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Executive Council to serve renewable terms of up to 70 years old.

Also, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire has jurisdiction over examining and deciding on appeals from the state trial courts and various state administrative offices.

Responsibilities of the Supreme Court include:

Correcting errors in trial court proceedings.
Interpreting case law and statutes and the State and federal constitutions.
Administering the courts.

Also, the Supreme Court issues written opinions on the cases it hears, which serve as a precedent for lower courts in the state. These opinions are published and available to the public in court records in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Superior Court

The Superior Court is a state-level general jurisdiction court holding jury trials for civil and criminal cases. New Hampshire has 11 Superior Court locations, one for each county and two in Hillsborough County. This court also has the reserved right or jurisdiction over petitions for injunctive relief. Parties seek a court order to prevent action, appeals from zoning and planning board decisions, title disputes, and petitions to enforce contracts.

New Hampshire Circuit Court

Circuit Court District Division exercises jurisdiction over misdemeanor and violation-level criminal offenses, small claims, landlord/tenant matters, stalking cases, and civil cases not exceeding $25,000.

Also, parties can obtain an emergency order of protection in domestic violence cases from a District Division. Some District Divisions also hear juvenile cases and domestic violence hearings. However, in counties where the Family Division is in place, these issues still need to be addressed in the District Division.

Furthermore, the District Division hears appeals of gun permit denials, land use violations, and replevin. In some cases, the jurisdiction of the District Division coincides with the Superior Court, and parties can opt to go to either court.

Visit the concerned court's online case lookup portal

Most New Hampshire courts have an online case lookup platform that enables requesters to search for cases by Docket Number, party name, or other identifying information. The means of accessing a court online case lookup channel is to visit the court's website and look for a link to "case lookup" or "case search".

Enter the docket number: after you have accessed the court's online case lookup system, type in the docket number for the case you are looking for. should you be uncertain of the docket number format, consult or contact the court's website or clerk for assistance.

Review the case information

After entering the case docket number, the online case lookup system will display information about the case, such as the parties' names, the case status, and any upcoming court dates. Also, one will likely be able to examine documents that are filed in the case, such as pleadings, motions, and orders.

Reach out to the court clerk for assistance: It is advisable for a requester who cannot locate a case that he or she is surfing for through the court's online case lookup system to contact the court clerk for assistance. The clerk will be an ideal link to provide information about the case, including the docket number, and may also help in locating court records related to the case.

What to Do if a Case Can't Be Find in New Hampshire Court Dockets

If a case that should be on the New Hampshire court dockets is not found, below are some steps that can be taken to sort the issue.

Double-check the information: They should ensure they have entered the correct information, including the case number, party names, and court location. Even a small mistake can cause their case to be overlooked.
Try different search methods: If they are searching for their case online, they should try using different search methods, such as searching by party name, case number, or court location. Sometimes cases can be listed under different names or numbers, so it's important to be thorough in their search.
Reach out to the court clerk's office for assistance: The clerk can provide more information about their case or help them locate it in the court docket.
File a motion or request for information: If their case cannot be seen or located, they may need to file a motion or request information with the court. This can be done by submitting a written request to the court clerk's office or filing a motion with the court itself.

How Often are New Hampshire Court Dockets Updated

New Hampshire Court Dockets are sometimes updated at least weekly and daily. Regularly checking the docket for updates is important, as criminal cases can move quickly.