[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6603950,"mediaKeyId","2995721-db7f033070329330380baaef30544288","parentId",2995721,"title","Judge says shifting family-division caseloads to superior court would reduce access and strain resources","audioSeconds",1277,"startMs",5567425,"endMs",6844435,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2995721-db7f033070329330380baaef30544288&start=5567&end=6844","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2995721-db7f033070329330380baaef30544288/thumbnail_5567425.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6603950/New-Hampshire/Judge-says-shifting-family-division-caseloads-to-superior-court-would-reduce-access-and-strain-resources","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603950-eee1f2352d1d4050e035e85b25963bc6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136943&Signature=m6W4PurMQoRmpv1vfSdPuP3EXzcTVkZ6d18k226ZQUkOP9Q-VANVBo4in1ljItJDzONWXWrXnFmvmJIrIU1mu6lOqWnJrYa4aTGEhMPBoXD2x9qjD2AMGyMI~pKZ96WI8HBv8dsEU9DF1v8pWgwD-EtZbgxgHkeyX-FvMICBL6hoSQ3Eny2MjOX7Z94rznN~JoHSRr-2X-vTWmgLjjlZxHqPXW-LMJ~EmzBoZJ3257ZMf1yHGls3qlDWxLB2LfmwqP7e~RCyv1eoPztZkmzhI8cU3MDONFX3HyTdO10~ixCa9B87sMjuXHvIh4BcVxqAt-JAF-91nwSDUkLU6imdQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-04-15T16:35:04.217Z","article","Judge Ellen Christo, administrative judge of the circuit court, told the House Children and Family Law Committee on April 15 that transferring family-division jurisdiction to the superior court would pose significant logistical and access-to-justice challenges.

\"If you moved the jurisdiction to superior court you would be diminishing that down to 11 courts instead of 31,\" Judge Christo said, outlining the geographic and capacity implications of such a change. She was testifying as part of retained consideration of House Bill 652, a measure that would affect family-court jurisdiction.

Judge Christo and Elaine Lowe, clerk and case manager for the third circuit, described the circuit court's existing intake and case-management processes. Lowe explained that the court schedules a telephonic \"first appearance\" with parties and the case manager, verifies contact information, confirms registration for the child-impact seminar (mandatory when children are involved), and typically sets mediation dates immediately. \"Most often those cases are referred to mediation,\" Lowe said of divorce and parenting petitions involving children.

Judge Christo summarized the practical consequences of moving family-division work to the superior court: fewer courthouses (from 31 family-division locations to 11 county-based superior courthouses), fewer judges available to hear family matters unless judges and space are reallocated, and courtroom and chambers capacity issues. She provided counts the committee can use for planning: the circuit court has about 49 full-time judges and roughly 23 part-time or senior/referee judges (about 72 judge positions in total), while the superior court has roughly 23 full-time and 6 part-time judges (about 29 positions).

\"We have staff in every courthouse that is specifically trained in family cases,\" Judge Christo said, arguing that staff and case-manager expertise would also need to move or be reconstituted if jurisdiction shifted. She added that family-division judges and staff receive ongoing, specialized training in areas including parenting plans, domestic violence, abuse and neglect, and juvenile matters.

Judge Christo also gave workload figures: the family division receives roughly 22,000 case filings annually across divorce, parenting, child support, guardianship, abuse and neglect, adoption, termination of parental rights, juvenile delinquency, and related domestic violence petitions. The superior court currently carries about 44,000 docketed matters a year; absorbing family-division caseloads without additional resources would roughly double superior-court caseloads.

The judge and clerk described existing alternative-dispute-resolution resources: the Administrative Office of the Courts' ADR office mediated roughly 3,350 divorce and parenting matters in 2023, and the courts are expanding neutral case evaluation, which the judge said prevents about half of evaluated matters from reaching trial.

Committee members raised questions about how the court tracks related filings across court levels, how the courts ensure cross-referencing of domestic-violence or criminal cases, and how judges receive information when cases involve DCYF (Division for Children, Youth and Families). Judge Christo said staff search for corresponding cases when filings occur in the same court but that cross-reference is not automatic across court levels; she described training and procedural steps the courts use to reduce missed references and urged additional resources for DCYF caseworkers and CASA volunteers to improve information available to judges.

Representative Kosen and others described constituent concerns about child safety, inconsistent rulings, and delays; Judge Christo said judges and staff do rely on DCYF and that improved staffing and information-sharing would help the court make better-informed decisions.

The committee retained HB 652 for further consideration; Judge Christo and clerical staff said they would provide additional information and are available to return for further briefings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Children and Family Law (04/15/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Judge Ellen Christo, administrative judge of the circuit court, told the House Children and Family Law Committee on April 15 that transferring family-division jurisdiction to the superior court would pose significant logistical and access-to-justice challenges.","taxTitle","Children and Family Law, House of Representatives, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",17742,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6603954,"Panel reviews bill to replace 'bride' and 'groom' with 'applicant' in state statute; exec session postponed",2403,338670,2741695,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2995721-db7f033070329330380baaef30544288&start=338&end=2741","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2995721-db7f033070329330380baaef30544288/thumbnail_338670.jpg","/articles/6603954/New-Hampshire/Panel-reviews-bill-to-replace-bride-and-groom-with-applicant-in-state-statute-exec-session-postponed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6603954-1e090725c2457e4b66519620bbd30bdb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136943&Signature=fYXPJur8-AB~p-XUuLx5du3n~FjYK0a2TnPLj5Bty7DAI2MdZhXZU4TqMD3vGwZnm~QUdVBXW84Wfieg7PyVYxWmO9aMw-610A62X~IZrs1BA-iaBnSWT5CPjylUg8ezWkc4wlTfHQl61gNy~GzgxD56YwkLZ~g1l3xU8u8hFQZZT3oWEwWNscJixBw2jMCYhiiSzxbfsMnH1Low7EbEB1akUtNaJFJ96ZrBdRmaqdK7tX1H4kmeQhT9-OSoJES0yq5tc5-0uvCwxdeM0BQtEGIZquKDhFqJLJp3jpKwM4nuCTpAOUpObL1QWffe0ii6EiJEGSn-neIoeAk9y48Ovw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Children and Family Law Committee held a hearing April 15 on Senate Bill 269, which would replace the terms \"bride\" and \"groom\" with \"applicant\" in the state Bridal Records Act to make the statute gender-neutral.

Representative Peter Petrino, speaking for absent sponsor Sen. Deborah Alchula, introduced SB 269. \"Good morning, mister chairman and members of the committee. I'm Representative Peter Petrino ... and I am pleased to introduce Senate bill 269 on behalf of Senator, Deborah Alchula, who is not here to take any questions,\" Petrino said during opening remarks.

Committee members asked whether the change was merely \"housekeeping\" or if it could have downstream legal effects. Representative Seidel asked why the wording change was necessary. Petrino and others said the amendment reflects same-sex marriage being recognized and removes traditional gendered language from statute.

Representative Raymond cited state statute when explaining how party designations currently appear in law, saying that existing statute designates parties \"bride, groom, or spouse.\" Several members said they understood the proposal as aligning statutory language with the Marriage Equality Act and with forms used by the Judicial Branch and the secretary of state.

A practicing family law attorney who identified themself in the hearing warned that the change may be redundant with existing vital statistics forms and raised the possibility — though not asserting it as a certainty — that altering timing or matrimonial-age provisions could have unintended interactions with the state's alimony statute. \"In sum, I just don't see with this piece of legislation is needed,\" the attorney said, asking the committee to consider whether the Judicial Branch's existing forms already address the issue.

Committee members also questioned language in the bill that strikes references to matrimonial age and time waivers. Petrino said the bill preserves the statutory minimum marriage age of 18; he could not explain why certain lines were struck and advised the committee to check related statutes and forms.

Several members said the secretary of state's office had requested modernized language; one substitute member said the office had asked for the change to standardize language nationally and to replace gendered terms with the neutral \"applicants.\" Members expressed frustration that no one from the secretary of state's office appeared to answer questions.

After extended discussion and a closed partisan caucus, the chairman conducted an informal thumb poll and announced that the committee would end the public hearing and postpone the executive session to a later date for more study and follow-up. \"This will end the committee hearing, and the exec session will be postponed to a later date,\" the chairman said. No formal committee vote on SB 269 was recorded during the meeting.

The committee said it would reconvene for its executive session at a later date after members had reviewed forms and sought clarification from the secretary of state and other stakeholders.","The House Children and Family Law Committee heard testimony on SB 269, which would replace gendered terms in the Bridal Records Act with the neutral term \"applicant.\" Lawmakers and a family law practitioner questioned the need for the change and possible interactions with other statutes; the committee postponed its executive session.","actionData","errors"]

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Judge says shifting family-division caseloads to superior court would reduce access and strain resources

Panel reviews bill to replace 'bride' and 'groom' with 'applicant' in state statute; exec session postponed