James E. Bassett at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Current assignment
- Supreme Court of New Hampshire
- Jurisdiction
- New Hampshire · State
- Judicial service
- Former
James E. Bassett
Former Judge · Supreme Court of New Hampshire
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 2012-present
- Law clerk to Andrew Caffrey; private practice at Hale and Dorr and Orr & Reno; returned to Orr & Reno in September 2025
- James P. Bassett is a retired associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, serving from July 19, 2012, until his retirement on August 31, 2025
- Trial and appellate attorney, Orr & Reno; 1985-2012
- Law clerk to Chief Judge Andrew A. Caffrey, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts; 1982-1983
Education
- Duke University School of Law — LL.M. (2023)
- University of Virginia School of Law in — J.D. (1982)
- Dartmouth College — B.A. (1978)
Additional information
- Sworn in on July 19, 2012, and served for 13 years, retiring after the 2025 term.
- James Bassett served on the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 2012 until September 2025, then returned to Orr & Reno for appellate work, mediation and arbitration.
- Judicial studies LLM at Duke in 2023.
- He also held the role of the Court’s liaison to the New Hampshire Bar Association and was appointed in 2016 by Chief Justice John Roberts to the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules
- Bassett was nominated by Governor John Lynch on May 9, 2012, to succeed Justice James Duggan, and confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council in a 4–1 vote on May 23, 2012.
- Began his legal career at Hale and Dorr in Boston before joining Orr & Reno in 1985
- Associate, Hale and Dorr; 1983-1985
- Bassett grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1978 with a degree in government.
- Born September 16, 1956.
- Date of birth: 1956
- Approximately 27 years.
- After law school, he clerked for Chief Judge Andrew Caffrey of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.
- Before joining the court, he clerked for Andrew Caffrey and spent 27 years at Orr & Reno.
- He attended Dartmouth and the University of Virginia School of Law
- Before his appointment, he was a senior litigator at Orr & Reno, where he argued numerous cases before the NHSC and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- During his tenure, Bassett chaired the Commission on Judicial Branch Workplace Environment, co-chaired the Court’s Committee of the Judiciary and the Media, and co-chaired the Access to Justice Commission.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Electronic Devices And Media
Statewide
New Hampshire's published statewide guidance requires presiding-judge approval before still or video equipment may be used in a courtroom, and the presiding judge retains discretion over recording devices.
The form must be approved by the presiding judge before that individual or organization will be permitted to use still or video equipment in the courtroom.New Hampshire Judicial Branch Guidelines for Use of Cameras and Audio Equipment ↗
Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 8, 2026.
Supreme Court of New Hampshire current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Supreme Court of New Hampshire current judicial profile ↗New Hampshire Judicial Branch Guidelines for Use of Cameras and Audio Equipment
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View New Hampshire Judicial Branch Guidelines for Use of Cameras and Audio Equipment ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Justice James Bassett Retires from the New Hampshire Supreme Court - NHBA
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Justice James Bassett Retires from the New Hampshire Supreme Court - NHBA ↗Wikidata: James P. Bassett
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Wikidata: James P. Bassett ↗Duke Master of Judicial Studies biography: James P. Bassett
Identity source · PDF · Source checked August 8, 2026
View Duke Master of Judicial Studies biography: James P. Bassett ↗New Hampshire supplied research: midyear26
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 3, 2026
View New Hampshire supplied research: midyear26 ↗