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Domestic violence report seeks judicial feedback, legal help

By Kathy Mccormack
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CONCORD — A task force created to review domestic violence cases in New Hampshire’s court system is recommending more feedback on judges’ performance and increased legal help with petitions for protective orders, some of the many suggestions in a wide-ranging report released Tuesday.

The group was formed last year as the judicial branch reviewed the case of a woman who was shot, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, a month after a judge denied her request for a permanent protective order.

Many of the recommendations are directed at the judicial branch itself, such as seeking additional state funding for training and educating staff at all court levels on domestic violence issues and adding staff to help process emergency filings in the circuit courts.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court said Tuesday that it plans to adopt one recommendation immediately — the creation of a Domestic Violence Committee that will report directly to the court to monitor the implementation of the report’s recommendations adopted by the judicial branch.

“We are committed to considering the recommendations and to being transparent about the Judicial Branch’s progress,” the court said in a statement.

Other judiciary-related recommendations that are supported by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, which was represented on the task force, include a review of the current judicial performance review process and a determination of how best to obtain more meaningful data, as well as efforts to explore and address implicit gender bias against survivors in domestic violence cases.

“We were grateful for the opportunity to work with stakeholders to create a roadmap in this report for improved accountability and transparency in domestic violence cases,” Lyn Schollett, the coalition’s executive director, said in a statement.

Other recommendations include creating a “flowchart” to help plaintiffs decide whether to file a petition for a domestic violence protective order or a civil stalking protective order and make the forms more easily accessible on the state judicial branch’s website.

A final order of protection should “clearly and visibly include” the deadline for filing a motion to extend the order, and information about renewing such orders should be include in the judicial branch’s website, brochures and videos, the task force said.

The group also suggested that legal services organizations and law schools explore the possibility of creating a program for law students to help people complete domestic violence petitions. It also favored more programs for lawyers to volunteer to help draft domestic violence petitions and represent plaintiffs, and allowing lawyers to appear remotely during court proceedings.

The task force is chaired by Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi.

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