Former NH Supreme Court justice accused of ethics violations by oversight panel

Hantz Marconi allegedly sought information from Sununu at the same time she was trying to affect the criminal matter involving her husband.

A disciplinary case against former New Hampshire Supreme Court justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi is moving forward, with the Judicial Conduct Committee alleging that she broke rules meant to preserve confidence in the courts. The independent panel oversees judge discipline in New Hampshire and says her conduct ran afoul of standards requiring judges to follow the law and avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing.

The committee’s charges are tied to a no-contest plea Hantz Marconi entered last year in a misdemeanor case involving criminal solicitation and misuse of position. That case grew out of a June 2024 meeting she had with former Gov. Chris Sununu while he was still in office.

According to the panel, Hantz Marconi sought information from Sununu at the same time she was trying to affect the criminal matter involving her husband, New Hampshire Port Authority Director Geno Marconi. The committee also said a separate call she made to the chairman of the Pease Development Authority was improper, or at minimum created the appearance that it was.

Hantz Marconi stepped away from Supreme Court work in November and later retired in February after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. A three-day hearing on the ethics allegations is set for December.