HB1509 Relative to judicial immunity and permitting civil actions against judicial officers for certain criminal bail decisions.
Relative to judicial immunity and permitting civil actions against judicial officers for certain criminal bail decisions.
Impact Score — How Does This Bill Affect You?
Overall Impact Score
Concerning
Scale: 1 (harmful) to 10 (beneficial)
Your Wallet
No direct financial impact on most residents.
Your Community
Could cause judges to deny bail more often to avoid liability, increasing incarceration of presumed-innocent people.
Your Freedom
Undermining judicial immunity for bail decisions could lead to excessive pretrial detention.
Status
Inexpedient to Legislate: Motion Adopted Voice Vote 02/12/2026 House Journal 4 P. 7
Sponsor
Douglas Trottier (R)
The Short Version
Would have allowed lawsuits against judges for bail decisions, particularly when released defendants commit crimes. Killed via ITL voice vote. This targets the tension between bail reform and public safety concerns.
Who's Behind This Bill?
Who Benefits
- ▲ Crime victims seeking accountability for bail decisions
Who Pays the Price
- ▼ Defendants who could face harsher bail decisions
- ▼ Judicial independence
Bill statuses as of May 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.