New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated

New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated
Name	New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated
Jurisdiction	New Hampshire
Enacted by	New Hampshire General Court
Citation	RSA
Status	current

New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated is the codified collection of permanent statutory law enacted by the New Hampshire General Court and maintained as an annotated compilation used by practitioners, judges, legislators, and scholars in Concord, New Hampshire. It functions alongside decisions from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, administrative rules from the New Hampshire Department of Justice, and federal instruments such as the United States Code and decisions of the United States Supreme Court. The compilation interfaces with statewide institutions including the New Hampshire Bar Association, county courts in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire and Merrimack County, New Hampshire, and national repositories such as the Library of Congress.

History and Development

The codification traces roots to early statutes enacted under the Province of New Hampshire and legislative actions during the tenure of figures like John Langdon and Benjamin Pierce, with major reorganizations paralleling reforms in states such as Massachusetts and New York. Influences include federal developments exemplified by the Judiciary Act of 1789 and comparative codifications like the California Codes and the Texas Statutes, while responses to landmark judicial opinions from the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the New Hampshire Supreme Court shaped annotation practices. Periodic recodification episodes mirrored administrative reforms associated with the New Hampshire Administrative Rules and legislative modernization efforts spearheaded by committees similar to those in the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.

Structure and Organization

The compilation is divided into titles, chapters, and sections reflecting subject-matter groupings comparable to the arrangement in the New York Consolidated Laws and the Illinois Compiled Statutes. It cross-references statutes influenced by policies from executive agencies such as the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and statutes interacting with federal programs like those administered by the Social Security Administration. Annotation apparatus typically cites decisions from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, trial rulings from the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, and legislative history records drawn from archives in Concord, New Hampshire and repositories like the Harvard Law School Library.

Publication and Annotated Features

Commercial publishers produce annotated editions incorporating case notes, editorial summaries, and cross-references similar to those by publishers handling the Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated and the Annotated Code of Maryland. Annotations commonly cite opinions from jurists such as those on the New Hampshire Supreme Court and federal judges including those appointed by presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Editorial features include statutory history, annotations referencing administrative decisions from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and parallel citations to sources like the United States Code Annotated and treatises held by the American Bar Association.

Legislative Updating and Citation

Updates follow enactments by the New Hampshire General Court and gubernatorial actions associated with the Governor of New Hampshire, with supplements and pocket parts akin to practices in jurisdictions using session laws and slip laws such as the Statutes at Large. Citation form aligns with court rules from the New Hampshire Judicial Branch and citation manuals used by institutions like the American Law Institute and the Columbia Law Review. Editorial annotations track amendment histories tied to legislative sessions convened in Concord, New Hampshire and ballot measures influenced by groups similar to the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance and advocacy organizations active in state referendums.

Access and Availability

The statutes are accessible through official state outlets maintained by the New Hampshire General Court and commercial platforms operated by legal publishers that also provide annotated editions similar to services from LexisNexis and West Publishing Company. Public law libraries in institutions such as the University of New Hampshire School of Law and the New Hampshire State Library hold print and electronic copies, and metropolitan legal clinics and county courthouses in Rockingham County, New Hampshire and Strafford County, New Hampshire provide access for practitioners and citizens.

Use in Courts and Legal Practice

Courts, including the New Hampshire Superior Court and the New Hampshire Supreme Court, rely on the statutes and annotations for statutory interpretation, procedural rules, and sentencing frameworks that interact with federal standards from the United States Sentencing Commission and precedents from the First Circuit. Practitioners cite annotated provisions in briefs filed with appellate bodies and trial courts, and bar examiners and continuing legal education providers such as the New Hampshire Bar Association incorporate statute-based instruction into curricula used by attorneys and judges drawn from jurisdictions across New England, including Vermont and Maine.

Category:New Hampshire law