New Hampshire’s Superior Court posts its daily docket as a PDF on the Judicial Branch website by 4:00 p.m. the business day before each hearing date, with a separate sheet for each of the 11 Superior Court locations.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Daily Docket Each sheet lists the cases scheduled at that courthouse the next day, along with hearing times and the type of proceeding. For anything older or more detailed, use the Judicial Branch’s free Case Access Portal to search by name, case number, or attorney bar number.
Where to Find the Daily Docket
Go to the Superior Court’s Daily Docket page on the New Hampshire Judicial Branch website and open the PDF for the courthouse you care about. Sheets are posted by 4:00 p.m. the business day before hearings.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Daily Docket
One thing to watch for: the PDFs are not updated after they go up. Cases settle, get continued, or get rescheduled at the last minute, and the posted sheet won’t reflect any of that.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Daily Docket Before making a trip to the courthouse, call the Judicial Branch Information Center at 1-855-212-1234 to confirm the hearing is still on. The Information Center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.2New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Contact Us
The Circuit Court does not appear to publish a comparable daily docket page. If you’re looking for a Circuit Court hearing, the Case Access Portal or a call to the Information Center is the better route.
Looking Up a Specific Case
The Case Access Portal is the Judicial Branch’s public case lookup tool. It shows case summaries, scheduled hearing dates, and filings for electronically filed cases.3New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Case Access Portal Is Here You’ll need a free account before you can search.
Register
Visit odypa.nhecourt.us/portal and click “Register.” Enter your basic information and create login credentials. If you’re not an attorney, select “Self-Represented Parties and other Non-Attorneys” from the dropdown after logging in.4New Hampshire Judicial Branch. How to Register for the Case Access Portal
Search
Once you’re logged in, use “Smart Search.”5New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Using the Online Portal Pick the court location first, then run one of these searches:
- Party name, full or partial, for a person or a business.
- Case number. Leave out dashes and leading zeroes.
- Attorney bar registration number, which pulls that attorney’s cases.
Results give you the case summary, scheduled hearings with times and courtroom assignments, and general status information. The portal only covers electronically filed cases, so older paper matters may not appear.
Cases You Won’t Find
Not every case is searchable. Under New Hampshire’s Guidelines for Public Access to Court Records, sealed records are closed to public inspection unless a court orders otherwise.6New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Guidelines for Public Access to Court Records Certain case types carry built-in confidentiality: Family Division matters involving children, juvenile delinquency, and abuse or neglect proceedings are commonly restricted. If you know a case exists but can’t find it, that’s often why.
Reading the Docket
Dockets use shorthand. The terms you’ll actually run into:
- Motion: a formal request asking the judge to do something, such as dismiss a charge or exclude evidence.
- Objection: a filing opposing the other side’s motion.
- Continuance: a postponement to a later date. This is the most common reason a listed hearing doesn’t happen that day.
- Disposition: the final outcome, especially in a criminal case.
- Nol Pros: short for nolle prosequi. The prosecutor has decided not to pursue the charge and it’s dismissed with no conviction on that count.7New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Legal Definitions
- Pleading: any document that formally requests or responds to a court action, such as a complaint or an answer.
- Plaintiff: the person or entity that filed the case.
- Defendant or Respondent: the person being sued or charged. “Respondent” is more common in family and civil matters.
Entries usually include the courtroom number and the name of the presiding judge, which matters if you plan to be there in person.
Sitting In on a Hearing
Most New Hampshire court proceedings are open to the public. You have two ways to observe.
In Person
Walk into the courtroom listed on the docket at the scheduled time. Cell phone use inside the courtroom is prohibited, so turn your phone off or set it to vibrate before you go in.8New Hampshire Judicial Branch. What to Do Before Coming to Court – Civil Recording or photographing a proceeding requires advance permission. Anyone who wants to record checks in at the clerk’s office first and completes an Audio/Video Notice Form before the hearing.9New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Rules Governing Media in the Court
Remotely by WebEx
Some hearings, particularly non-contested ones, run on WebEx. To watch a remote hearing, email the Communications Office at Communications@courts.state.nh.us and request access. If approved, you’ll get a personal invitation link. Each invitation is for one person and shouldn’t be shared. When you join, mute your microphone and turn off your video. Recording is prohibited without prior court permission.10New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Media Access to WebEx Court Proceedings
Getting Copies of Filings
If you want the actual documents from a case, request them from the clerk’s office in writing. Standard photocopies are $0.50 per page. A certified copy is $10.00. Many electronically filed documents are viewable through the Case Access Portal, but a certified version still means a trip to the clerk.