§ 490-K:2 — Initial Judicial Training Requirements

Any person who holds the position of judge in this state, and all nonjudicial employees of the judicial branch with a hire date on or after July 1, 2025, shall complete an orientation and training program within 3 months of hire, as directed by the chief justice of the supreme court. The minimum initial training for judges may be as follows:
I. Orientation for new judges on procedures and functions of the applicable court and relevant procedural and substantive law;
II. Education for new judges on major legal subjects and practical skills needed by them and appropriate to the jurisdiction of the court in which they serve;
III. At least one hour of training devoted to the topics of legal and judicial ethics, professionalism, preventing implicit bias, mental health, and domestic violence.

Legislative History

2024, 317:11, eff. July 1, 2025. 2025, 3:1, eff. Sept. 21, 2025.