--- title: "James E. Bassett | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-p-bassett-5067" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # James E. Bassett Supreme Court of New Hampshire · Judge ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of New Hampshire - State: New Hampshire - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic devices and media Scope: 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. Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.courts.nh.gov/media/guidelines-use-cameras-and-audio-equipment) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5067/james-p-bassett/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5067/james-p-bassett/) - [Supreme Court of New Hampshire current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5067/james-p-bassett/) - [New Hampshire Judicial Branch Guidelines for Use of Cameras and Audio Equipment](https://www.courts.nh.gov/media/guidelines-use-cameras-and-audio-equipment) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5067/james-p-bassett/) - [Justice James Bassett Retires from the New Hampshire Supreme Court - NHBA](https://www.nhbar.org/justice-james-bassett-retires-from-the-new-hampshire-supreme-court) - [Wikidata: James P. Bassett](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16727411) - [Duke Master of Judicial Studies biography: James P. Bassett](https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/2021-MJS-Bios-Photos_6.28.pdf) - [New Hampshire supplied research: midyear26](https://www.nhbar.org/nh-bar-associations-midyear-meeting-2026/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5067/james-p-bassett/) - [Justice James Bassett Retires from the New Hampshire Supreme Court - NHBA](https://www.nhbar.org/justice-james-bassett-retires-from-the-new-hampshire-supreme-court) - [Wikidata: James P. Bassett](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16727411) - [Duke Master of Judicial Studies biography: James P. Bassett](https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/2021-MJS-Bios-Photos_6.28.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-p-bassett-5067", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-p-bassett-5067", "name": "James E. Bassett | KnowJudges", "description": "James E. Bassett, Supreme Court of New Hampshire. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-p-bassett-5067#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-p-bassett-5067#judge", "name": "James E. 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