The NH daily docket for Superior Court is posted as a downloadable PDF on the New Hampshire Judicial Branch website by 4:00 p.m. the business day before the scheduled hearings, with a separate PDF for each of the state’s 11 Superior Court locations.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Daily Docket For anything older than tomorrow’s schedule, or for Circuit Court hearings, you’ll use the free Case Access Portal instead.
Where to Find the Superior Court Daily Docket
Go to the Superior Court’s Daily Docket page on courts.nh.gov. Pick the courthouse you need, and open the PDF. Each sheet lists the cases scheduled at that location the following day, with hearing times and the type of proceeding.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Daily Docket
One thing to know before you rely on it: the PDFs are not updated after they’re posted. Cases settle, get continued, or get rescheduled late in the day, and the posted docket won’t reflect any of that.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Daily Docket If you’re driving to the courthouse to watch a specific hearing, call the Judicial Branch Information Center at 1-855-212-1234 first to confirm it’s still on. The Information Center takes calls from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.2New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Contact Us
Circuit Court Hearings
The Circuit Court does not publish a daily docket PDF in the same format. To check a Circuit Court hearing date, use the Case Access Portal or call the Information Center.
Looking Up a Specific Case in the Portal
For an individual case, the Case Access Portal shows case summaries, scheduled hearing dates, and filings for electronically filed matters.3New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Case Access Portal Is Here You need a free account before you can search.
Register
Visit odypa.nhecourt.us/portal and click Register. Enter your basic information and create login credentials. If you’re representing yourself, choose “Self-Represented Parties and other Non-Attorneys” from the dropdown after logging in.4New Hampshire Judicial Branch. How to Register for the Case Access Portal It takes a few minutes.
Search
Once you’re logged in, open Smart Search.5New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Using the Online Portal Pick the court location you want to search, then search by one of the following:
- Party name, full or partial, for a person or business.
- Case number, with dashes and leading zeroes left out.
- Attorney bar registration number.
Results include scheduled hearing dates, times, courtroom assignments, and case status. The portal only covers electronically filed cases, so older paper-filed matters may not appear.
When a Case Doesn’t Show Up
Not every case appears in a public search. Under New Hampshire’s Guidelines for Public Access to Court Records, once a record is sealed it is not open to public inspection except by court order.6New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Guidelines for Public Access to Court Records Family Division matters involving children, juvenile delinquency proceedings, and abuse or neglect cases are commonly restricted. If you know a case exists and it isn’t turning up, sealing or a confidentiality rule is the likely reason.
Making Sense of Docket Entries
Docket sheets rely on shorthand. The terms you’ll run into most:
- Motion: a formal request asking the judge to take a specific action, like dismissing a charge or excluding evidence.
- Objection: a filing opposing the other side’s motion.
- Continuance: a postponement to a later date. This is the most common reason a hearing on the posted docket won’t actually happen that day.
- Disposition: the final outcome of a case, used mostly in criminal matters.
- Nol Pros: short for nolle prosequi. The prosecutor has decided not to pursue the charge, and it is dismissed with no conviction.7New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Legal Definitions
- Pleading: any document that formally requests or responds to an action, such as a complaint or an answer.
- Plaintiff: the person or entity that filed the case.
- Defendant or Respondent: the person being sued or charged. Respondent is more common in family and civil matters.
Entries typically also list the courtroom number and the presiding judge, which helps if you plan to attend.
Watching a Hearing You Saw on the Docket
Most proceedings are open to the public, and you have two ways in.
In Person
Walk into the courtroom listed on the docket at the scheduled time. Cell phone use inside the courtroom is prohibited, so turn your phone off or set it to silent before you go in.8New Hampshire Judicial Branch. What to Do Before Coming to Court – Civil Recording or photographing requires advance permission; anyone planning to record must check in at the clerk’s office and complete an Audio/Video Notice Form before the hearing begins.9New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Rules Governing Media in the Court
Remote via WebEx
Some hearings, particularly non-contested ones, run on WebEx. To observe remotely, email the Communications Office at Communications@courts.state.nh.us and ask for access. If approved, you’ll get a personal email invitation with a link. The invitation is issued to one person and shouldn’t be shared. Mute your microphone and turn off your video before joining. Recording is prohibited unless you have prior court permission.10New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Media Access to WebEx Court Proceedings