HB1116 Relative to judicial privilege and relative to the litigation of small claims.
Relative to judicial privilege and relative to the litigation of small claims.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Mixed
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
No direct fiscal impact to taxpayers or household finances; small claims notice acceleration may slightly reduce litigation delays but has no measurable cost effect.
Your Community
Faster small claims notice may improve court efficiency and access to justice for plaintiffs, though impact depends on actual implementation and existing delays.
Your Freedom
Removing judicial privilege for criminal testimony expands prosecutorial access to judge testimony but may reduce judicial independence; accelerated small claims notice protects defendant due process by ensuring faster notification.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 03/05/2026 House Journal 6 P. 20
Sponsor
Jack Flanagan (R)
The Short Version
This bill removes judicial privilege protections for judges testifying in criminal proceedings when they have firsthand knowledge of material facts, and requires courts to notify small claims defendants within 10 days of claim filing. The first provision could expose judges to compelled testimony in criminal cases; the second provision accelerates the small claims notice process.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ Criminal prosecutors who can now compel judge testimony in cases where judges have firsthand knowledge
- ▲ Small claims plaintiffs who will receive faster notification that their claims have been filed
- ▲ Small claims defendants who will receive notice sooner, allowing more time to prepare a response
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ Judges, whose judicial privilege protection is eliminated for criminal proceedings
- ▼ Judicial independence and separation of powers, if judges are frequently compelled to testify in criminal cases
Bill statuses as of October 7, 2026. Check LegiScan or NH General Court for the latest.
This bill was auto-scored using AI analysis of the bill text and legislative data. Scores may be refined as we review more bills.