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Daniel Richard v. Kelly Ayotte, Governor of New Hampshire, et al.

Paid petition · Supreme Court of New Hampshire, No. 2025-0297 · judgment January 13, 2026


Certiorari denied · October 5, 2026
Pre-decision estimate: 0% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate: the model weighted this down for a self-represented petitioner.

Question presented

Question 1 - Meaningful Judicial Review: Whether the New Hampshire Supreme Court denied meaningful judicial review under the Elections Clause and Qualifications Clauses of the U.S. Constitution, in violation of Moore v. Harper, 600 U.S. 1 (2023), by declaring N.H. Const, pt. II, art. 32 “silent” on the method of ballot counting expressly required by that provision and by disregarding its own binding precedent in Fischer v. Governor, 145 N.H. 28 (2000). Question 2 - Vote Dilution: Whether the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as interpreted in Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), and Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964), is violated when a state court

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Daniel Richard

For respondent
Michael J. Tierney
Wadleigh, Starr & Peters, PLLC

Case

Subject area
Civil Rights (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Order
Order list, October 5, 2026 · Certiorari denied

Proceedings

  1. Oct 05 2026
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Jul 29 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
  3. Jul 29 2026
    Reply of petitioner Daniel Richard filed. (Distributed)
  4. Jul 14 2026
    Brief of respondents Town of Auburn, et al. in opposition filed.
  5. Apr 08 2026
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 16, 2026)