Supreme Court of New Hampshire
State of New Hampshire v. Laura Williams
September 18, 2020
Summary
The Supreme Court of New Hampshire vacated the trial court’s denial of Laura Williams’s petitions to annul two non‑conviction charges and three simple‑assault convictions, holding that the statutes governing annulments were correctly interpreted to allow the petitions. The Court remanded for the lower court to exercise its discretion on rehabilitation and public‑welfare considerations. The decision rests on a plain‑meaning reading of RSA 651:5 and rejects the State’s narrower construction of the conviction‑free period and the “case” definition.