The NH Legislature voted to enact House Bill 1422, overriding Gov. Ayotte’s veto
Exoneree Scott Hornoff in NH after testifying with his service dog Tuukka.
Thank you! You helped pass HB 1422 into law. Join us in saying thank you to lawmakers.
Wrongly convicted people in New Hampshire will soon have a fairer shot at justice. On Aug. 19, 2026, lawmakers voted once again to enact a law revising the state’s strict three-year filing deadline on new trial motions, overriding Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s veto.
The state legislature unanimously passed House Bill 1422 earlier this year, but the governor, a former attorney general, vetoed the legislation based on faulty reasoning. In the weeks that followed, dozens of Granite Staters took action, contacting their local lawmakers and urging them to override the veto. Lawmakers also continued to speak up in support of the bill, which received broad bipartisan support.
New Hampshire was one of just three states — the remaining two states are Arkansas and Idaho — with an absolute deadline on filing for a new trial. The strict deadline blocked wrongfully convicted people from getting back into court if three years had passed since their conviction — even if they had new evidence proving their innocence or there were substantial changes in science undermining their conviction.
This law could not have been enacted without your advocacy! Let’s thank our lawmakers and send them a note using the form above.
This campaign is in partnership with the New England Innocence Project.