A U.S. district court / Established 1789

U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire

New Hampshire · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the First Circuit.

U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the First Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.

18
Judges in history
5
Currently serving
3
Seats over time
8 / 7
Appointed D / R
Current judges
Former judges
JudgeAppointed byYears
Joseph A. DiClerico Jr.Bush (R)1992–2022
Norman H. StahlBush (R)1990–1992
Martin Francis LoughlinCarter (D)1979–1995
Shane DevineCarter (D)1978–1999
Hugh Henry BownesJohnson (D)1968–1977
Aloysius Joseph ConnorRoosevelt (D)1944–1967
George Franklin MorrisHarding (R)1921–1953
Edgar AldrichHarrison (R)1891–1921
Daniel ClarkJohnson (D)1866–1891
Matthew HarveyJackson (D)1830–1866
John Samuel SherburneJefferson (N)1804–1830
John PickeringWashington ()1795–1804
John SullivanWashington ()1789–1795

How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1789.

Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.