New Hampshire’s congressional map was ultimately set by the courts after the political branches deadlocked. When lawmakers and the governor couldn’t agree on a plan in spring 2022, the New Hampshire Supreme Court asserted supervisory jurisdiction, appointed Stanford’s Nathaniel Persily as special master, and directed a “least-change” approach anchored to equal population and compactness. On May 31, 2022, the court issued its final order adopting Persily’s map for the 2022 elections, making New Hampshire the last state to complete its congressional redistricting that cycle.

By contrast, the state legislative maps were enacted by statute. Lawmakers passed HB 50 (state House) and SB 240 (state Senate), which Gov. Chris Sununu signed on March 23, 2022, and May 6, 2022, respectively. Those plans then faced two notable lawsuits: Brown v. Scanlan and City of Dover v. Scanlan. In the former case, the New Hampshire Supreme Court held in November 2023 that partisan-gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable under the state constitution. In the latter case, a state constitutional claim, challengers to the House map lost in the trial court, and the New Hampshire Supreme Court affirmed in June 2025. Both the legislative and congressional maps remain in force.

last updated: Oct 2025