New Hampshire committee hears broad support and procedural concerns for bill easing time limit to seek new trial

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on Senate Bill 141, a proposal to create a narrow exception to New Hampshire's three‑year deadline for filing a motion for a new trial, allowing certain petitions based on newly discovered evidence or scientific advances.

Joshua Shower, legislative aide to Sen. Robert Gannon, introduced the bill on behalf of the prime sponsor and told the committee, "This bill is about liberty, fairness, and due process." He said the measure would let wrongfully convicted people bring petitions that courts could still deny under existing legal standards.

Winnie Yee of the Innocence Project and Cynthia Maso (testimony provided alongside Yee) said current law (RSA 5:26) bars many wrongful‑conviction claims after three years and that scientific advances can take far longer than that to emerge. "A three‑year deadline is really restrictive," Yee said, noting advances in forensic science and citing national reports on exonerations. The group handed the committee a fact sheet and a…