The New Hampshire Supreme Court Turned a Blind Eye to Corruption — and Punished a Citizen for Exposing It

The New Hampshire Supreme Court Turned a Blind Eye to Corruption — and Punished a Citizen for Exposing It

By Jeffrey Thomas Clay

The integrity of a justice system depends on one simple promise: that truth matters. But in New Hampshire, that promise has been broken.

This week, the New Hampshire Supreme Court awarded attorney fees to the Town of Newmarket and its counsel, Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella — despite detailed, documented evidence that those same officials and attorneys engaged in deception, concealment, and what I believe constitutes criminal misconduct.

This decision didn’t merely overlook the facts; it condoned corruption. It sent a chilling message to every citizen who dares to stand alone against entrenched power: if you expose government wrongdoing, the system will crush you instead of protecting you.

A Court That Looked Away

For years, I have fought to expose how Newmarket officials violated the state’s Right-to-Know Law (RSA 91-A), concealed public records, and used taxpayer funds to silence dissent. My filings documented how false statements were presented to the courts, how fraudulent settlement agreements were used to buy secrecy, and how local officials manipulated the legal process to cover their tracks.

The evidence was undeniable. Yet the state’s highest court — bound by oath to uphold justice — looked the other way. Rather than confronting the misconduct, the Court rewarded it, granting Newmarket’s attorneys more than $13,000 in fees.

In doing so, the justices effectively endorsed theft by deception — conduct prohibited under RSA 637:4 — and ignored their own precedent in Stone v. City of Claremont (2024 N.H. 11), which reaffirmed that public transparency cannot be bought, sold, or suppressed through settlement.

The Punishment of the Pro Se Citizen

The truth is painful: New Hampshire’s judiciary has grown intolerant of citizens who represent themselves. When a pro se litigant uncovers government misconduct, the system treats him not as a truth-teller but as a threat.

The courts tolerate falsehoods from institutions and lawyers because those lies come wrapped in formality and stamped with letterhead. But when a citizen stands up, armed only with facts and the law, the reaction is hostility. That hostility is precisely what I have faced — retaliation for daring to demand transparency, fairness, and honesty in government.

By awarding attorney fees to the very parties accused of deception, the Supreme Court has legitimized the idea that lying under oath is cheaper than telling the truth — as long as you work for the government.

A Crisis of Public Confidence

This is bigger than my case. It is about the rule of law and whether our highest court still serves the people. When judges protect power instead of principle, when they close their eyes to perjury and fraud to punish a lone citizen, the judiciary itself becomes complicit in injustice.

The Attorney General’s Office is now reviewing the actions of Newmarket officials and their attorneys. That review must include the courts’ role in enabling this deception. The law cannot serve two masters — it cannot protect both truth and corruption.

If the judiciary continues to protect the latter, the people of New Hampshire must demand reform. No court, no judge, and no lawyer is above accountability.

History Will Judge

The Supreme Court’s ruling may stand on paper, but history will not absolve it. When the truth is fully exposed — when the records, transcripts, and correspondences are laid bare — the people will see what the Court chose not to.

New Hampshire’s judiciary has long prided itself on independence and honor. Those ideals have been betrayed. And until the courts hold Newmarket and its attorneys to the same standard as every other citizen, the scales of justice will remain tilted — not toward truth, but toward power.