NH Supreme Court rejects Dover’s redistricting lawsuit appeal

posted on 6/6/2025

The New Hampshire Supreme Court this week affirmed a Superior Court decision that dismissed the City of Dover and co-plaintiffs’ lawsuit against the State of New Hampshire and its Secretary of State. The plaintiffs alleged the state’s 2022 electoral redistricting law violated the New Hampshire Constitution; the Supreme Court disagreed.

The lawsuit centered around how state legislators drew the electoral district boundaries utilizing the 2020 Census data that was released in 2021. House Bill 50, signed into law on March 23, 2022, grouped Dover’s Ward 4 residents into two districts combined with other towns. The complaint alleges that Dover’s Ward 4, along with other municipalities, including Barrington, Hooksett, Lee, New Ipswich, Rochester, and Wilton, had combined representation with neighboring municipalities despite New Hampshire Constitutional requirements requiring a dedicated district for political wards and towns with sufficient population.

The City of Dover filed the lawsuit in Strafford County Superior Court on July 26, 2022. The City of Rochester and 10 voters from various municipalities, including Ward 4 Councilor Debra Hackett in her personal capacity and not as a city councilor, also joined Dover in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs’ Superior Court complaint asked the court to either redraw or order the state to redraw the house representation maps for the affected towns and wards in compliance with the state constitution.

In late 2023, both parties filed for summary judgment, with Strafford Superior Court Judge Mark Howard holding a hearing on Feb. 7, 2024. In an April 8, 2024, ruling, Howard denied the city’s motion for summary judgment and granted the state’s. Dover and the other plaintiffs appealed the decision to the New Hampshire Supreme Court on May 6, 2024. Oral arguments were held on Jan. 14, 2025.

The plaintiffs initially sought the Supreme Court to hear the case through an original jurisdiction petition to address the matter directly and obtain a ruling on the merits before the 2022 House of Representatives elections. The court denied the petition, and the plaintiffs filed the Superior Court complaint. The City Council directed the City Manager to pursue legal action regarding the constitutionality of the redistricting law at its April 27, 2022, meeting.

Find all filings related to the case at https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/executive/city-attorney/current-litigation/.