ROUNDUP: Cinde Warmington Calls for Delay in Naming MacDonald Replacement, Public Hearings

MANCHESTER, NH — Following Gordon MacDonald’s resignation from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, Democratic nominee for governor Cinde Warmington called for a delay in naming his replacement until after the November election and for public hearings into the conduct of the justices involved in the personnel matter underlying the resignation.

At a Tuesday press conference, Warmington blasted Kelly Ayotte for “enabling corruption and self-dealing.” While Kelly Ayotte was testifying to MacDonald’s “character” in 2021, Warmington was the lone vote on the Executive Council who opposed MacDonald’s judicial nomination.

See below for a recap of coverage:

Union Leader: Warmington accuses Ayotte of hypocrisy over MacDonald's resignation, opioid ties

Democratic nominee for governor Cinde Warmington of Concord accused Gov. Kelly Ayotte of “disgraceful hypocrisy” in the governor’s vigorous defense of now-resigned New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald.
“We have to call out Kelly Ayotte for more than enabling corruption and self-dealing, and recognize her disgraceful hypocrisy here,” Warmington said at a press conference at her campaign headquarters in Manchester.
She noted Ayotte has spent millions in attack ads over Warmington’s representation more than two decades ago of Purdue Pharma, the opioid maker found to have gotten people hooked on drugs with its marketing practices.
“But in 2017 while Kelly Ayotte was pocketing campaign contributions from the owners of Purdue Pharma, she enthusiastically endorsed Gordon MacDonald who was their (Purdue Pharma’s) lawyer at the time,” Warmington said. “He was fighting against the state’s effort to deliver justice to New Hampshire families devastated by the opioid epidemic.”
Warmington called upon Ayotte to hold off naming MacDonald’s replacement and leave the job vacant until after the Nov. 3 general election.
During her first term, Ayotte has made two appointments to the high court — one of which was her former campaign lawyer. The moves created all-Republican representation on the five-person high court for the first time in decades.
“She has proven to all of us that she can’t be trusted to make a qualified appointment to the Supreme Court,” Warmington said.
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Warmington, the lone Democrat on the Executive Council at that time, cast the only vote in opposition to MacDonald’s nomination.
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InDepthNH: Gordon MacDonald Says Justice Hantz Marconi Lied About Him and Colleague Who Got $50,000 Payout

Democrat Cinde Warmington, a former Executive Councilor who is running against Gov. Kelly Ayotte in the Nov. 3 election, is now calling for public hearings of the New Hampshire Supreme Court justices who participated in the handling of the personnel matter underlying MacDonald’s resignation.
“While I am pleased that the Judicial Conduct Committee took action against Gordon MacDonald, there are serious questions that remain unanswered. MacDonald’s resignation followed revelations about his mishandling of an internal personnel matter involving Dianne Martin. However, last October, Justices Donovan, Countway, and Gould all joined MacDonald in a statement defending MacDonald’s actions and stating that ‘every personnel decision regarding Ms. Martin was made collectively by the Supreme Court.’ This statement warrants a full investigation into the conduct of each member of the court who participated,” Warmington said.
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Boston Globe: N.H. Supreme Court chief justice resigns, admits misconduct

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cinde Warmington, meanwhile, said Ayotte should refrain from nominating anyone before the election.
“We should let the voters decide who they want to be their next governor and allow that governor to nominate a replacement to the Supreme Court,” she said.
Warmington, who was the only Democrat on the Executive Council in 2021, said she was proud to cast the lone dissenting vote to oppose MacDonald’s confirmation. The roots of what led to his resignation this week were evident back then, she said, noting that Ayotte had testified in support of MacDonald’s nomination by lauding his qualifications and character.
“The character that Gordon MacDonald brought to the Supreme Court was a culture of corruption,” Warmington said.
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NHPR: Ayotte to begin search for next NH Supreme Court chief justice; timeline unclear

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Cinde Warmington, a Democrat challenging Ayotte in the governor’s race, called on her opponent to wait until after the election before naming a replacement for MacDonald.
“We are just weeks away from an election,” Warmington told reporters on Tuesday. “We should let the voters decide who they want to pick the next justice of the Supreme Court.”
In 2016, as a U.S. Senator, Ayotte joined other Republicans in blocking then-President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, citing that upcoming election.
"I believe the American people deserve to have a voice in the direction of the court,” Ayotte said at the time.

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Union Leader: Ayotte: It's too premature to say when she'd move to fill Supreme Court vacancy

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On Wednesday, Cinde Warmington, Democratic nominee for governor, called for the council to convene public hearings on the conduct of the entire Supreme Court in light of the JCC report.
Warmington noted that three judges on the court at the time in October 2025 had joined MacDonald in issuing a statement that they all agreed with the handling of the Dianne Martin matter.
“This statement warrants a full investigation into the conduct of each member of the court who participated,” Warmington said.
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