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 state supreme court, 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, New Hampshire, Concord. The Court is ...

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 appointmen ...

from 2017 to 2021.

Early life and education

MacDonald was born in 1961 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to Marcelline (Kuglen) MacDonald and Gordon J.F. MacDonald. MacDonald attended public schools in

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

, graduating from Hanover High School. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in government, ''cum laude'', from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1983.

Early career

From 1985 to 1990, MacDonald worked as legislative director for United States Senator Gordon J. Humphrey. In 1990, he became Humphrey’s Chief of Staff.

Legal career

In 1994, MacDonald earned a

juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

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 Sout ...

, from

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private university, private, Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, Cornell Law School offers four degree programs (Juris Doctor, JD, Maste ...

. 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 American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...

. From 1994 to 1995, MacDonald clerked for judge Norman H. Stahl 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 is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

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

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

, 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

by newly elected governor

Chris Sununu Christopher Thomas Sununu ( ; born November 5, 1974) is an American politician and engineer who served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire from 2017 to 2025. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Sununu is the son of former New Hamps ...

. He was unanimously confirmed by the

Executive Council of New Hampshire The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (colloquially referred to as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of New Hampshire in the United States. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check o ...

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(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

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 The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

, 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.

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 17 January 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 ...

) * , - {{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