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Belknap County attorney reports rising caseloads, more in-office jury trials and a small projected budget overrun
Summary
County Attorney Keith Cormier briefed the Belknap County commissioners on rising case filings, nine jury trials in six months and a planned new prosecutor hire; he said software and copier costs are driving a modest projected budget shortfall.
County Attorney Keith Cormier told the Belknap County Board of Commissioners on May 14 that the county is handling more criminal cases this year than at the same point in recent years and that his office has tried nine cases in the last six months.
“Right now, we've filed 217 cases in Superior Court,” Cormier said, adding that the office is “just over 630 cases for the year,” and that the office is ahead of last year’s pace. He told commissioners the caseload numbers can be misleading because some matters are resolved or dismissed at different court levels.
Cormier said the office has increased its trial activity: “In the last six months, the office has done nine jury trials,” and he credited prosecutors across the office for taking cases to verdict.
The attorney also described staffing changes. He said the office has extended an offer to a Suffolk Law graduate who will start in August under New Hampshire’s Rule 36 certification, which allows a recent graduate to practice under supervision before bar results are released. A previously vacant legal assistant position has been filled and moved from part-time to full-time earlier this year, Cormier said.
On budgeting, Cormier told the commissioners that projections show the department “is going to be somewhere in the ballpark of $970 over budget,” and he attributed the shortfall mainly to uneven expenses for software support and copier leases. He said those are lumpy costs that may be offset elsewhere in the department before year-end.
Why it matters: The county attorney’s caseload and trial activity affect court scheduling, deputy prosecutor workloads and county budget planning. Cormier warned that state-level court scheduling changes will concentrate jury trials in periods later this year, which could increase local trial workloads.
During discussion, a commissioner asked whether the 600-plus felony cases reflect individuals or case counts; Cormier clarified these are case counts and noted that some people have multiple active cases. Commissioners also asked about office temperature and facilities; those operational points were referred to facilities staff.
Cormier concluded by saying the office is staffed well and “doing a lot of good work” despite the heavier caseload.
