By Tom Jarvis
New Hampshire Supreme Court (NHSC) Justice Anna Barbara “Bobbie” Hantz Marconi retired from the bench on February 11, the day before her 70th birthday, in accordance with the state’s mandatory retirement age for judges. She has served on the Court since 2017.
“It was an honor and a privilege to have that responsibility,” Justice Hantz Marconi says. “To be able to deliver some guidance along the way was very rewarding. It’s a serious responsibility and I appreciated having that faith in me for as long as it was.”
NHSC Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald highlights her administrative leadership and long-term impact on court operations and public access.
“Justice Hantz Marconi brought energy and enthusiasm to all aspects of her role, including her administrative responsibilities,” he says. “For example, as the liaison justice to the law library, she led the way on important projects such as ensuring that our historic materials are properly preserved as well as in making law-related resources available to public libraries around the state, thus helping to bridge the access-to-justice gap. These and other efforts will have a lasting impact, and we are all grateful for her hard work and dedication.”
Before the Bench
Justice Hantz Marconi was born in York, Pennsylvania, and grew up in a family with deep Pennsylvania Dutch roots. After graduating from high school in 1973, her family relocated to New Hampshire, where she enrolled at the University of New Hampshire. She graduated in 1977 with a joint concentration in political science and environmental science.
Following college, she spent several years working on political campaigns before deciding it was not her long-term path.
“I enjoyed the work and helping the candidates, but after a period of time, I realized that was not my calling,” she says.
She then worked for a construction company, handling permitting, land use issues, and project financing. That work reinforced her interest in environmental and land use law and ultimately led her to law school.
In 1989, Justice Hantz Marconi enrolled at Chicago-Kent College of Law, drawn by its environmental law curriculum and legal writing program. After graduating in 1992, she completed a clerkship with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court under Justice Caroline Glassman and Justice Robert Clifford.
Private Practice and Path to the Court
After her clerkship, Justice Hantz Marconi entered private practice, developing a litigation-focused career that spanned business, land use, family law, and appellate matters. She practiced at Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green and later at Gottesman & Hollis, where she handled a wide range of complex civil matters.
In 2010, she returned to Sheehan Phinney as a shareholder.
“She was a treasured colleague, a smart and creative attorney, and a great mentor to younger lawyers, especially women lawyers,” says Bradford Cook, a shareholder at Sheehan Phinney. “She was compassionate with clients and generous with her time to charitable causes. I believe she brought these same qualities to the Court.”
During her years in private practice, Justice Hantz Marconi also served for six years on Governor John Lynch’s Judicial Selection Commission, reviewing judicial applications and evaluating candidates’ experience and public service. She says the work gave her a different perspective on judicial service.
“It made me think about the broader impact that judicial decisions have on people,” she says. “Assessing those applications and seeing all the good community service that lawyers were doing struck me as something I might want to do.”
When a vacancy opened on the NHSC in 2017, Justice Hantz Marconi decided the timing was right to seek appointment. She was nominated by Governor Chris Sununu and confirmed by the Executive Council, joining the Court on August 8 of that year.
On the Bench
Justice Hantz Marconi emphasizes careful statutory interpretation on the Court and the importance of providing clarity and guidance to the public.
“It doesn’t matter what I think personally about the merits – that’s not a judge’s job,” she says of judicial decision-making. “The legislature passes laws. We interpret and we uphold unless the constitution prohibits it; we don’t make policy.”
She says that same philosophy also informs how judges approach the real-world consequences of their decisions.
“Staying grounded is important, because knowing that we are just human beings doing the best job we can to deliver certainty matters,” she says. “It’s not just the case we have to decide. People are waiting for a decision in order to get on with their lives. But the decision also has a broader impact on other people trying to conform their lives to the law.”
She says her philosophy was always to avoid “jumping to the superficial,” instead working through the issues carefully “to provide clarity at the end.”
Justice Melissa Countway points to that approach in describing Justice Hantz Marconi’s work on individual cases.
“While working on cases, she always gave them her full attention and never left any stone unturned,” she says.
NHSC Justice Patrick Donovan points to her leadership during challenging periods for the Judicial Branch.
“Bobbie was a close friend, a trusted colleague and a thoughtful jurist,” he says. “Her composure and steady leadership helped the Judicial Branch navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
During her tenure, Justice Hantz Marconi was placed on administrative leave while a criminal case related to a conversation with then-Governor Chris Sununu was pending. The matter was resolved in October 2025, when she entered a no-contest plea to a class B misdemeanor charge of criminal solicitation, resulting in a fine. The NHSC rescinded the administrative-leave orders on October 7, 2025, and a specially convened Supreme Court panel lifted her interim suspension and reinstated her to the practice of law on October 9, 2025.
Public Service
Justice Hantz Marconi has been deeply involved in public service throughout her career. She led a task force on domestic violence that produced recommendations to improve court processes, served for 15 years on the board of the Nashua Children’s Home, and engaged in a range of volunteer and civic service roles with organizations including the Domestic Violence Emergency Program, the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners, the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association, the Manchester Community Music School, and the Josiah Bartlett Center.
She also played a key role in efforts to assist Afghan women judges who were forced to flee their country following the collapse of the Afghan government. After learning of the situation through a national judicial program, she helped organize a New Hampshire-based coalition to support the resettlement of Afghan Judge Geeti Roeen and her family.
“It is satisfying that we’ve been able to provide support for this family who so overwhelmingly deserves it,” she says. “To assist this family who are so optimistic and determined to restart their lives and contribute to their communities again is humbling and rewarding.”
Leaving a Legacy
NHSC Justice Bryan Gould says Justice Hantz Marconi leaves a lasting mark on the Court.
“While I was acquainted with Justice Hantz Marconi before joining the court, I’ve rapidly come to appreciate just how thorough and thoughtful she has been as a judge,” he says. “She leaves the court with a legacy of which she should be proud.”
Cook also offers a final reflection on her legacy.
“Her legacy is that good people make good lawyers,” he says. “Bobbie Hantz is a good, honest, and honorable person.”
Reflections on Retirement
Justice Hantz Marconi says she plans to remain involved in the Afghan judges resettlement effort.
“The coalition is definitely something I will not give up until this family is solidly established,” she says. “The Roeens will always have a place in my heart.”
Beyond that work, she says she plans to take time to consider her next steps and enjoy time with her husband, while not ruling out a return to private practice or other pursuits.
Asked what she hopes others will remember about her service, Justice Hantz Marconi points to her approach to the work itself.
“I’d like people to remember my openness, my willingness to work hard, and my commitment to finding the right answer,” she says.