John Broderick, the former chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court who has overseen the state’s settlement fund for abuse victims of the Youth Development Center since his retirement, will depart from his role at the end of July.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced his departure on Tuesday, lauding his “distinguished career in public service.”
The press release from the governor’s office referred to his exit as a “resignation.” Broderick disputed that term in an interview with the Monitor, saying he had no intention of leaving but that a change in state law has ended his tenure.
“I did not resign as the independent, neutral YDC claims administrator, and I never would have left because it was an important job and we were doing a good job at it,” Broderick said. “I’m leaving, not resigning, because the Legislature, with the support of the governor . . . took my job away.”
Broderick was appointed to the administrator role by the state Supreme Court and has been the first and only person to lead the fund since its creation in 2022. Changes to state law passed last month made his position a politically-appointed one, which means the person who succeeds him will serve at the pleasure of the governor.
“What will happen now is the governor, under the statute, will get to appoint an at-will administrator, who she can remove for any reason or no reason at any time, to hear these cases,” Broderick said. “Unlike the job I held, where I had authority to make decisions, the new administrator will only have the authority the attorney general’s office — the lawyer for the defendant, the state — approves.”
Ayotte’s office did not respond to request for further comment before the Monitor’s deadline.
The YDC Claims Administration and Settlement Fund was originally allocated $100 million to award victims of abuse at the state’s former youth detention center as an alternative to a trial. Ayotte and Attorney General John Formella have questioned Broderick’s decisions around payments to victims and attorneys, but a recent state audit found no issues.
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