Rule 54 - Administrative Judges And Administrative Council(1) There is hereby established as follows the position of administrative judge and an administrative council for the judicial branch.(2) The chief justice of the superior court, appointed as provided by law, shall be the administrative judge of the superior court. There shall be an administrative judge and a deputy administrative judge for the circuit court, both of whom shall be appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court, with the concurrence of a majority of the supreme court, for a term to be stated in the order of appointment, but subject to the pleasure of the appointing authority.(3) An administrative council is established to facilitate communications among the various courts and the administrative office of the courts. Membership on the council shall consist of the chief justice of the supreme court or his or her designee, the chief justice of the superior court, the administrative judge and deputy administrative judge of the circuit court, and the director of the administrative office of the courts. The chief justice of the supreme court may designate a justice to serve as liaison between the supreme court and the administrative council. The administrative council shall meet regularly maintaining a flexible agenda, providing the opportunity to exchange views, measure progress, resolve conflicts, work toward uniformity of procedure among courts to the extent possible, review certain administrative orders, and make recommendations to the supreme court or its advisory committee on rules. The administrative council shall keep the supreme court apprised of matters being considered by the council and shall meet periodically with the supreme court to enhance the effective and efficient administration of the judicial branch.(4) Role and Responsibilities of the Administrative Judge. The administrative judge (or, upon the unavailability of the administrative judge of the circuit court, the deputy administrative judge) has general supervisory responsibility for the administration, operation and improvement of the court in order to provide for the expeditious disposition of all cases over which the court has jurisdiction, subject to the policies, rules, orders and guidelines established by the supreme court. The administrative judge (or, upon the unavailability of the administrative judge of the circuit court, the deputy administrative judge), in addition to the foregoing, shall, when not in conflict with part II, article 73-a of the New Hampshire Constitution, have such duties and responsibilities as may be conferred by statute. Without limiting the foregoing, the responsibilities of the administrative judge (or, upon the unavailability of the administrative judge of the circuit court, the deputy administrative judge) include the following:
(a) Exercising supervisory powers over judges, clerks, registers and court personnel;(b) The employment and discharge of all personnel in accordance with budgetary and personnel rules and regulations, collective bargaining agreements and such policies as have been established by the supreme court;(c) Issuing superior court or circuit court administrative orders as may be required from time to time to carry out the responsibilities of the office; provided, however, that such administrative orders shall be consistent with the policies, rules, orders and guidelines established by the supreme court and, with respect to administrative orders affecting rules of procedure, reviewed by the administrative council at its next regularly scheduled meeting;(d) Effectuating compliance by judges and court personnel with all applicable court rules, provisions of law and administrative orders;(e) Counseling, assisting and supervising judges in their conduct and in the performance of their administrative responsibilities;(f) Appointing court personnel to committees of the court;(g) Implementing established policies, orders and regulations concerning the court's internal management and operation, including but not limited to business hours, the timely disposition of the court's business, judicial vacations and leaves of absence, attendance at meetings, and education and training conferences;(h) Supervising caseflow management;(i) Appointing a presiding judge for each court location, assigning judges and court personnel to court locations when workload and other factors so require, and allocating equipment and other internal court resources where needed;(j) Preparing the court budget requests and supervising the financial affairs of the court;(k) Representing the court in its relations with other courts, other branches of government, the bar, the general public, the news media, and in ceremonial functions;(l) In the event of unavailability of the administrative judge (or, in the circuit court, the unavailability of both the administrative judge and the deputy administrative judge), designating an acting administrative judge, subject to the approval of the supreme court. Adopted on a temporary basis January 1, 2013, and on a permanent basis eff. 5/1/2014; amended Oct. 17, 2016, eff. 1/1/2017; amended December 30, 2024, eff. 1/1/2025.