New Hampshire voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed judges to serve until the age of 75. The current state constitution mandates a judicial retirement age of 70. According to unofficial results, 65.59 percent of voters were in favor of the amendment, falling short of the required two-thirds majority needed for adoption.
The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office reported 452,031 “yes” votes and 237,105 “no” votes. State lawmakers had approved the amendment, with it passing both the House and Senate. However, it did not gain the necessary support from the voting public.
Representative Robert J. Lynn, a Republican from Windham who advocated for the amendment, served as a justice on the New Hampshire Supreme Court until he was required to retire at age 70 in 2019. Now 75, Lynn expressed that many experienced judges would prefer to continue serving past the current age limit.
Judicial retirement age debate continues
“You probably have to have a little gray hair to be a good judge anyway,” Lynn said. Some voters, like 29-year-old Tom Palangas from Weare, believe that maintaining the mandatory retirement age is beneficial.
He cast his ballot against the amendment and suggested that the judicial retirement age should potentially be even lower. “You can’t be a president when you’re too young, but apparently you can be a president when you’re 80-plus,” Palangas remarked, alluding to wider public frustrations concerning the ages of prominent political figures. Pre-election polling indicated that the amendment was likely to fail, though the final tally was closer than expected.
More than a third of likely voters told pollsters during the final weekend before the election that they were unaware of the amendment, according to the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Had the amendment passed, all current justices on the New Hampshire Supreme Court would have remained age-eligible until early 2031. With the amendment rejected, two justices, Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi and James P.
Bassett, are set to reach the current age limit in 2026. Judicial vacancies are filled by the governor and the Executive Council.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
