Gordon J. MacDonald (born November 27, 1961) is an American attorney who has served as the chief justice of the

New Hampshire Supreme Court The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the supreme court of the U. S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate ...

since 2021. He previously served as the 30th

Attorney General of New Hampshire The Attorney General of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New Hampshire who serves as head of the New Hampshire Department of Justice. , the state's attorney general is John Formella. Qualifications and appointment Un ...

from 2017 to 2021.

Education and early career

MacDonald attended public schools in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...

, graduating from Hanover High School. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in government,

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

, from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1983. From 1985 to 1990, MacDonald worked as legislative director for United States Senator

Gordon J. Humphrey Gordon John Humphrey (born October 9, 1940) is an American politician from New Hampshire who served two terms in the U.S. Senate as a Republican from 1979 to 1990, and twice ran for Governor of New Hampshire, though both bids were unsuccessful. ...

. In 1990, he became Humphrey’s Chief of Staff.

Legal education and career

In 1994, MacDonald earned a

juris doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

, from

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, it offers four law degree programs, JD, LLM, MSLS and JSD, along with several dual-deg ...

. At Cornell, he worked as an article editor for the

Cornell Law Review The ''Cornell Law Review'' is the flagship legal journal of Cornell Law School. Originally published in 1915 as the ''Cornell Law Quarterly'', the journal features scholarship in all fields of law. Notably, past issues of the ''Cornell Law Revi ...

and was a member of the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

. From 1994 to 1995, MacDonald clerked for judge

Norman H. Stahl Norman H. Stahl (January 30, 1931 – April 8, 2023) was an American lawyer who served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He was formerly a United States district judge of the United Sta ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maine * District of Massachusetts * ...

. In 1995, MacDonald became an associate in the litigation department of Hale and Door LLP in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. In 1997, he became an associate at Nelson, Kinder, Mosseau & Gordon, PC in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

. In 2001, he became an associate in the litigation department of

Nixon Peabody Nixon Peabody LLP is a Global 100 Boston-based law firm with more than 700 attorneys collaborating across major practice areas in cities across the U.S. and in international offices in London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. In addition to the firm's ...

, also in Manchester. In 2005, he became a partner in the same department of Nixon Peabody, holding that role until his appointment as attorney general. From 2004 to 2017, MacDonald served on the New Hampshire Supreme Court Board of Bar Examiners, chairing the board from 2010 to 2017. In 2017, MacDonald was nominated to be

New Hampshire Attorney General The Attorney General of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New Hampshire who serves as head of the New Hampshire Department of Justice. , the state's attorney general is John Formella. Qualifications and appointment Un ...

by newly elected governor

Chris Sununu Christopher Thomas Sununu ( ; born November 5, 1974) is an American politician and engineer who has served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Sununu was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Co ...

. He was unanimously confirmed by the

Executive Council of New Hampshire The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly known as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor ...

New Hampshire Supreme Court

On June 4, 2019, Governor Sununu nominated MacDonald to be Chief Justice of the

, replacing Robert J. Lynn who faced mandatory retirement at age 70. On July 10, 2019, the Democratic-controlled executive council rejected MacDonald’s nomination by a 3-2 party-line vote. Democratic Councilors accused him of being a

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

and radical conservative. MacDonald denied the accusations, pointing to the support for his nomination from prominent Democrats including former Chief Justice John T. Broderick. On January 22, 2021, after Republicans flipped the council in the 2020 elections, Sununu renominated MacDonald, and his nomination was confirmed by a 4–1 party-line vote. He was sworn into office on March 4, 2021, succeeding acting Chief Justice

Gary E. Hicks Gary E. Hicks (born November 30, 1953) is the Senior Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He was sworn in January 31, 2006. Hicks obtained his degree in mathematics from Bucknell University in 1975. He is a 1978 graduate of Bost ...

Personal life

MacDonald is married to fellow attorney Jennifer Eber, with whom he has one daughter. MacDonald lives with his family in

Deering, New Hampshire Deering is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,904 at the 2020 census. History First settled about 1765, the town was incorporated on January 17, 1774, by John Wentworth, governor of the Province of ...

References

External links

Gordon MacDonald Application to Serve as Associate Justice
(Source:

New Hampshire Public Radio New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) is the National Public Radio member network serving the state of New Hampshire. NHPR is based in Concord and operates eight transmitters and six translators covering nearly the whole state, as well as portions of ...

) * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonald, Gordon 1961 births Living people Chief Justices of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Cornell Law School alumni Dartmouth College alumni Politicians from Los Angeles New Hampshire Attorneys General New Hampshire Republicans United States congressional aides