Justices Request Investigation

By Trish Anderton on Wednesday, May 2, 2001.

listen: No audio currently available. Order on CD (pdf).

Ethics at the state Supreme Court took center stage again last week when two members of the Judicial Conduct Committee said members of the court had intervened in a JCC case involving Chief Justice David Brock. Now the two judges are asking the JCC to clear the air by investigating the matter.

THE JUSTICES HAVE ASKED THE STATE?S JUDICIAL CONDUCT COMMITTEE OR J-C-C TO OPEN A FORMAL INQUIRY INTO THE EVENTS OF A WEEK AND A HALF AGO. THAT?S WHEN BRODERICK AND DUGGAN ALLEGEDLY INTERCEDED IN AN ETHICS CASE ON BEHALF OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE. SUPREME COURT SPOKESWOMAN LAURA KIERNAN SAYS THE TWO JUSTICES WANT TO AIR THE FULL STORY.

004 01 they stand by what they did without hesitation, they have nothing to hide, they welcome public light on what they did that day

THE J-C-C HAD BEEN WEIGHING SANCTIONS AGAINST CHIEF JUSTICE BROCK FOR SOME OF THE SAME ETHICAL CONCERNS THAT LED THE NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE TO IMPEACH HIM LAST YEAR. BRODERICK AND DUGGAN ALLEGEDLY NEGOTIATED THE LIGHTEST POSSIBLE PUNISHMENT FOR BROCK. TWO MEMBERS OF THE J-C-C LATER SAID THEY WERE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE JUSTICES? INVOLVEMENT IN THE CASE. THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, REPUBLICAN HENRY MOCK OF JACKSON, SAYS THERE?S GOOD REASON FOR CONCERN.

001 309 It?s the perception of the thing. Here?s the good old boys going to each other?s defense, clamoring over each other, trying to put an end to something that they had no business being involved in, apparently.

ONE OF THE DISGRUNTLED J-C-C MEMBERS, ANNE COUGHLIN, SAYS LIKE THE JUSTICES SHE WELCOMES A PUBLIC AIRING OF THE FACTS.

002 205 the reason I spoke is I think it needed to be discussed, it needed to be put in front of public, there needed to be an in depth disucsion ove rthis is the way to do thing.s and I think to whatever extent that happens it?s a good thing.

CHIEF JUSTICE BROCK AND THE SPEAKER OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE HAVE ALREADY ASKED THE J-C-C TO WAIVE ITS CONFIDENTIALITY RULES SO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE CAN TELL THEIR VERSION OF THE STORY. FOR NHPR NEWS, I?M