New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi is set to return to the bench just days after pleading “no contest” to a misdemeanor charge linked to her husband’s criminal case. A special judicial panel ruled Thursday that the justice had not committed a “serious crime,” clearing the way for the reinstatement of her law license without restrictions.
Hantz Marconi had been suspended since last fall, when she was indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts for allegedly attempting to influence the prosecution of her husband, Geno Marconi, the former director of the New Hampshire Port Authority. Prosecutors say she reached out to then-Governor Chris Sununu to pressure him into intervening in her husband’s case.
On Tuesday, Hantz Marconi entered a no contest plea to one count of criminal solicitation, a misdemeanor. Under the plea agreement, she avoided jail time and did not admit wrongdoing. In return, all other charges were dismissed. Court documents described the offense as outside the scope of a “serious crime,” which allowed the panel to restore her ability to practice law and resume her duties on the state’s highest court.
Her husband, Geno Marconi, still faces multiple charges, including felonies for witness tampering and falsifying evidence. A third figure, Bradley Joseph Cook, chairman of the Division of Ports and Harbors Advisory Council, was also indicted for perjury and giving false statements during the investigation.
Despite returning to the bench, Justice Hantz Marconi’s tenure will be brief. She is expected to reach the state’s mandatory judicial retirement age of 70 in February.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella strongly criticized her actions, stating that her attempt to use her position to sway a criminal case “undermines confidence in our criminal justice system.” He emphasized that judges are held to a higher ethical standard and must avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
