The New Hampshire Supreme Court has appointed Judge Ellen V. Christo as the Administrative Judge of the New Hampshire Circuit Court. She will assume oversight responsibilities for the state's 34 Circuit Courts from Judge David D. King, who is set to retire on July 1, 2024.
Judge King has served as a Circuit Court Judge since 2007 and has held the position of Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court since 2017. Currently, Judge Christo presides over cases in District, Family and Probate divisions at the 10th Circuit Court in Hampton and Brentwood. She was nominated to the bench by Governor Christopher Sununu and confirmed by the Executive Council in 2021.
“I am honored and grateful to be chosen as the next Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court,” said Judge Christo. “This is an awesome responsibility and Judge King certainly leaves enormous shoes to fill. In sheer numbers, Circuit Courts in New Hampshire see nearly 100,000 cases every year, and a vast majority of the litigants in those cases represent themselves without any lawyers."
Judge Christo emphasized that decisions made by judges in these courts greatly impact thousands of New Hampshire residents' lives. She acknowledged the hard work of hundreds of clerks and court personnel supporting this process.
"My goal as Administrative Judge is to support our court staff's work to help citizens find fair resolution to their cases and fulfill our constitutional duty to provide equal justice to all," she added.
Before her appointment, Judge Christo served as General Counsel & Head of Government Affairs for two international companies in defense and plastics industries. Her responsibilities included negotiating commercial contracts, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, running legal departments, and working directly with U.S Senators, Governors, staff members, and regulators on public policy matters.
New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald expressed confidence in her leadership abilities: “We are extremely lucky to have someone of Judge Christo’s caliber, experience and temperament leading the largest division of courts in the Judicial Branch."
Judge Christo has also played a significant role in the International Women Judge’s Association, assisting in resettling women judges from Afghanistan who faced death threats since the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021. She has also worked with the Albanian government on drafting new laws and assisting with the World Bank as Albania transitioned from a Communist dictatorship to a Democracy.
The Circuit Court system includes 31 District and Family Divisions, and 10 Probate Divisions. In 2023, there were 97,777 total cases filed in New Hampshire Circuit Courts, including: 45,228 criminal cases, 16,468 small claims matters, and 12,477 probate cases.