Laurie Ortolano

Judge robes scales of justice AI - gen

ORTOLANO: The 13-to-1 Problem: How NH Superior Court’s ‘Assigned Docketing’ Utterly Destroys Rights to an Impartial Judge

Laurie Ortolano

My six-year fight for government transparency, recognized by the Nackey S. Loeb and New England First Amendment Awards, exposed a cynical failure in the New Hampshire judicial system. My Right-to-Know (RTK) lawsuits sought critical records, from assessing records to an alleged fraudulent federal funding scheme for the Nashua Performing Arts Center, a matter serious enough that the federal government is … Read more

Gavel law books courts

OROTOLANO: How the Nashua Courthouse Broke My Faith in Justice

Laurie Ortolano

Judges are supposed to be fair and impartial. In New Hampshire, they should embody independence, not inheritance. My experience in Hillsborough County South has shown otherwise. The lines between mentorship and favoritism have blurred so deeply that I have lost confidence in the system. When Judge Smith took the bench in Nashua in 2024, she … Read more

Judge robes scales of justice AI - gen

Justice by Exhaustion – How Nashua’s Courts Protect Power and Punish Dissent (Part IV)

Laurie Ortolano

The Pocket Judiciary In Nashua, justice doesn’t feel random. I was told that Superior Court cases are assigned through a “round-robin” system to keep things fair. Yet fifteen of my cases went to the same judge. This was simply not statistically possible, and patterns have meaning. That judge, Charles Temple, became the City’s go-to authority … Read more

ORTOLANO: Justice by Exhaustion: How Nashua’s Courts Protect Power and Punish Dissent (Part III)

Laurie Ortolano

When Justice Has a Price Tag When the City of Nashua spent nearly a million dollars fighting a voluminous 2022 Right-to-Know case, it wasn’t protecting taxpayers and records; it was protecting itself. The case involved the downtown road barriers, a project sold for “downtown vibrancy” but executed with little transparency. I asked for public meeting … Read more

Court gavel muskogee

ORTOLANO: Justice by Exhaustion – How Nashua’s Courts Protect Power and Punish Dissent (Part I)

Laurie Ortolano

When the Courts Turn Hostile Courts dread seeing a self-represented litigant walk through their doors, especially one challenging city government. In Nashua, that dread turns to hostility. Over five years of fighting for transparency, I’ve learned how the local court system uses its power not to ensure fairness, but to exhaust and financially break citizens … Read more

Derek Thibeault

ORTOLANO: Alderman Thibeault – Transparency Is Not Petty

Laurie Ortolano

Derek Thibeault used his weekly newsletter to call a request for the August 7, 2025, non-public Nashua Board of Aldermen minutes “petty.” Transparency is never petty; it is the people’s right, and the Board broke the law. The Board entered that closed session without reading the statutory language required by RSA 91-A. That isn’t a … Read more

Scales of justice gavel law court

ORTOLANO: When Emotion Replaces Judgment, Taxpayers Pay

Laurie Ortolano

On July 31, 2025, the Superior Court held a hearing on my motion to disqualify Corporation Counsel Steven Bolton and Deputy Corporation Counsel Celia Leonard from my cases. The issue wasn’t about winning a motion; it was whether two city lawyers, locked in years of conflict with a citizen critic, could still do the job “with … Read more

free speech megaphone pexels-cottonbro-studio-6484520

ORTOLANO: Free Speech for the Board, Restriction for the People

Laurie Ortolano

On August 4, 2025, the Personnel and Administrative Affairs Committee reviewed an ordinance sponsored by Alderman Rick Dowd to prohibit flags, banners, and signs in the Aldermanic Chamber. The ordinance was poorly drafted and, according to the New England First Amendment Coalition, raised serious constitutional concerns about viewpoint discrimination. Despite the importance of the issue, … Read more

Derek Thibeault

Ortolano: Free Speech is Not a “Stunt”

Laurie Ortolano

A Letter to Nashua’s Ward 8 Constituents I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen and an active participant in our city’s legislative process. I want to address the recent newsletter from your Alderman, Derek Thibeault, and correct several factual inaccuracies regarding the public comment policy and my actions at the Personnel and … Read more

Ortolano: Ethics without Ethics in Nashua

Laurie Ortolano

In April 2025, a citizen, Fred Teeboom, filed an ethics complaint against Nashua Board of Aldermen President Lori Wilshire. The concern centered on her decision to appoint herself to the Pennichuck Corporation Board of Directors, a city-owned utility subject to Aldermanic oversight, without disclosing she would be paid $12,000 annually, discussing the inherent conflict of … Read more

Ortolano: Who Decides What Voices Matter in Nashua? Mayor Donchess, Apparently

Laurie Ortolano

Mayor Jim Donchess’s recent decisions regarding Nashua’s Pride Parade have raised serious questions about his commitment to the First Amendment and his understanding of viewpoint neutrality in public forums. Taxpayer funds are being used to organize the Nashua Pride Parade, a public event that begins at City Hall Plaza and proceeds through downtown streets. Participation … Read more

Nashua City Hall

Ortolano: When the Response Proves the Point – How Officials Validate Concerns by Discrediting Dissent

Laurie Ortolano

Last Thursday, the Union Leader published an op-ed warning about a troubling trend: the politicization of public participation in Nashua. I argued that our city’s leaders—by labeling dissenting voices as “mayor haters” or dismissing ethics complaints as “just politics”—were creating a culture that silences civic dialogue. One day later, Alderman Derek Thibeault responded—not with reflection, but … Read more

Ortolano: Chilling the Chamber – How Politicizing Public Input Silences Civic Voice

Laurie Ortolano

Since the outset of Mayor Donchess’s leadership, our City’s political climate has shifted to destabilize our democracy. A persistent pattern has emerged, with elected officials, appointed or endorsed by the Mayor, making statements that marginalize concerned citizens, question their motives, and dismiss their input. This ongoing trend chills free speech, erodes public trust, and weakens … Read more

Share to...
BufferCopyFlipboardHacker NewsLineLinkedInMastodonMessengerMixPinterestPrintRedditSMSTelegramTumblrVKWhatsAppXingYummly