NH AG Temporarily Steps Down From Top Cop Position

CONCORD, NH — The state's top cop is temporarily stepping down from the position during his confirmation process to be chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Attorney General Gordon MacDonald issued a memorandum on Thursday to Deputy Attorney General Jane Young notifying her that he would be stepping down temporarily and putting her in charge of the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office during the confirmation process. He was nominated for the chief justice position on June 5, 2019, by Gov. Chris Sununu, R-NH.

MacDonald will be using vacation time he has accrued, he noted in the letter.

RSA 7:3 authorizes the deputy attorney general to act as AG in certain situations, he said.

"I believe it is in the best interest of this Office, as well as the people and institutions we serve, for me to delegate temporarily my duties as Attorney General to you," MacDonald wrote, "while the nomination is pending. In my opinion, this unique circumstance constitutes 'cause' under the meaning of the statute."

The delegation is effective immediately and will terminate upon the final disposition of the nomination, MacDonald noted, while adding that he thanked Young for accepting additional responsibilities during this time period.