New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald has permanently resigned from his judicial office as part of a formal settlement agreement resolving a protracted investigation by the state’s Judicial Conduct Commission. The departure brings a sudden close to the tenure of the state’s top judicial officer following an inquiry centered on his handling of internal personnel decisions within the court system.
The 64-year-old jurist tendered his immediate resignation in a formal communication submitted to the office of Gov. Kelly Ayotte. The move came roughly seven weeks after MacDonald had publicly announced that he was taking a temporary leave of absence for medical reasons, during which the ethics probe continued to unfold behind closed doors.
In a public statement released through his legal counsel, MacDonald addressed the roughly year-long investigation into his management of judicial branch personnel. While describing the staffing matters under review as complicated and evolving, MacDonald conceded that his actions fell short of the standards expected of his office and noted that he took full personal accountability for the administrative shortcomings.
MacDonald emphasized that his decision to step down permanently was intended to preserve the public standing of the court system. He stated that agreeing to the settlement would spare the state’s court system and its employees from the disruptive and contentious nature of a public disciplinary hearing, expressing hope that the bench could refocus entirely on its institutional responsibilities.
Under the negotiated terms of the resolution, MacDonald formally conceded that he had committed violations of three separate provisions of the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct. In exchanging his admissions for a definitive resolution to the ethics inquiry, he agreed to surrender his judicial appointment and step away from the chief justice post with immediate effect.
The formal agreement was reviewed and sanctioned by a specially designated judicial panel rather than MacDonald's colleagues on the high court. The remaining four associate justices on the Supreme Court confirmed in a public statement that the settlement received approval from a panel chaired by retired Superior Court Justice Tina Nadeau alongside four active superior court judges.
At the core of the commission's long-running inquiry was MacDonald's direct role in an unusual sequence of administrative staffing actions concerning Dianne Martin, who had previously served as his chief of staff. Records released by the conduct panel indicated that the investigation examined how Martin was transitioned through multiple positions, pay adjustments, and benefit disbursements within the state court system.
According to investigative findings, Martin was initially removed from her post as the court system’s administrative director, a role carrying an annual salary of $143,800. Although she was relieved of her active duties in late February, she remained on paid administrative leave until early April, when her formal layoff took effect.
Shortly after her departure from the administrative director position, Martin was appointed to serve as general counsel for the Office of Bar Admissions, an entity overseen by the Supreme Court that manages the licensing of attorneys in the state. The newly assigned role came with an increased salary of $154,000 per year, accompanied by nearly $50,000 in accumulated leave payouts and associated personnel benefits.
The personnel shifts also drew scrutiny from the state Department of Justice and investigators working under Attorney General John Formella after a court employee stepped forward as a whistleblower. The employee recounted that Christopher Keating, who took over as the chief administrator of the court offices following Martin’s removal, specifically attributed the irregular hiring procedures directly to MacDonald's explicit instructions.
The whistleblower reported that Keating directed her to execute the personnel changes without delay, stating that the directive came directly from the chief justice. Following her objections to the process, the employee was fired by Keating just one month before she would have finished her six-month probationary term, with Keating allegedly rebuking her conduct as unprofessional during the termination.
Reporting on the internal restructuring also revealed that the three other associate justices serving on the Supreme Court bench at the time acknowledged participating alongside MacDonald in the broader administrative decisions regarding Martin and Keating. However, the commission's disciplinary focus remained squarely on MacDonald's specific managerial conduct and his interactions with colleagues.
In correspondence sent to MacDonald earlier in the year, the Judicial Conduct Commission detailed accusations regarding his temperament during discussions about Martin's status. The panel highlighted a specific incident on March 3, 2025, in which MacDonald reportedly reacted with fury after fellow justices sought to immediately lay off Martin, leading to a confrontation where he entered Associate Justice Patrick Donovan’s chambers, slammed the door, and shouted profanities.
The commission's records noted that MacDonald engaged in a similarly confrontational and heated argument with Associate Justice Melissa Countway later that same day. The regulatory body pointed out that this episode was not an isolated occurrence, citing prior instances where MacDonald had directed profanity and exhibited significant anger toward fellow judicial officers during his tenure.
The investigative filings also revealed that MacDonald addressed circulating rumors regarding the nature of his personal relationship with Martin, who had previously worked as his chief of staff during his time as state attorney general. MacDonald stated in his formal responses to the commission that he had proactively approached both the judicial branch’s general counsel and each associate justice individually to explicitly deny that any romantic relationship existed.
With the approval of the settlement and the formal acceptance of MacDonald's immediate resignation, the state's highest court now faces the task of stabilizing its administrative operations and rebuilding public trust following the departure of its presiding justice under an ethics cloud.
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