--- title: "Mark E. Howard | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-e-howard-nh-trial" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Mark E. Howard New Hampshire Superior Court · Superior Court Justice ## Profile - Court: New Hampshire Superior Court - State: New Hampshire - Role: Superior Court Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - The Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court, appointed in 2015 by then‐Governor Maggie Hassan and recently nominated by Gov - Partner, Howard & Ruoff; criminal law practice - Law clerk to Justice William Batchelder, New Hampshire Supreme Court - Homicide prosecutor, New Hampshire Attorney General's Office - Chief Justice’s Welcome Message: New Hampshire Judicial Branch - Chief judge service: end date:; start date:; title: Chief Justice - Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire - In his own words, Howard has pledged to “fully embrace the awesome responsibility to oversee the delivery of fair and meaningful justice to the citizens of our State efficiently and effectively” ### Education - Degrees at the University of New Hampshire in 1984 and Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1987. - Undergraduate degree — University of New Hampshire — 1984 ### Additional information - In August 2023, Governor Chris Sununu nominated him to succeed Tina Nadeau as Chief Justice for a five‐year term, effective September 30, 2023, pending Executive Council confirmation - Joined the Superior Court bench in 2015 by Governor Maggie Hassan. - J.D. — Franklin Pierce Law Center — 1987 - Civil litigation trial lawyer, Private practice - Jeffrey Howard, serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit - handling federal criminal defense - Gubernatorial nomination with Executive Council confirmation - Currently assigned to Strafford County Superior Court in Dover - Before joining the bench, he practiced at Howard & Ruoff with a focus on criminal law. - Focused on violent crime and narcotics matters. - He has been a New Hampshire lawyer for over 36 years - Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court, the state’s general jurisdiction trial court handling all civil and criminal jury trials, certain non‐jury matters, and specialized dockets such as the Business Court and Land Use docket. - Howard was born and raised in Cornish, New Hampshire. ## 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.courts.nh.gov/our-courts/superior-court/justices) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.nh.gov/our-courts/superior-court/justices) - [New Hampshire Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.courts.nh.gov/our-courts/superior-court/justices) - [New Hampshire Judicial Branch Guidelines for Use of Cameras and Audio Equipment](https://www.courts.nh.gov/media/guidelines-use-cameras-and-audio-equipment) - [InDepthNH profile: Mark Howard nomination](https://indepthnh.org/2023/08/02/nominations-mark-howard-to-superior-court-chief-justice-bettencourt-to-insurance-commissioner/) - [New Hampshire Judicial Branch](https://www.courts.nh.gov/our-courts/superior-court/justices) - [InDepthNH profile: Mark Howard nomination](https://indepthnh.org/2023/08/02/nominations-mark-howard-to-superior-court-chief-justice-bettencourt-to-insurance-commissioner/) - [New Hampshire Judicial Branch](https://www.courts.nh.gov/our-courts/superior-court/justices) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-e-howard-nh-trial", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-e-howard-nh-trial", "name": "Mark E. 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