New Hampshire
In wake of Supreme Court homelessness decision, NH advocates say fight not over • New Hampshire Bulletin
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last month to allow an Oregon city’s efforts to clear out homeless encampments is already rippling through New Hampshire.
On July 2, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to strengthen a ban on camping on city property, subjecting people to fines. And the board removed an exception that had allowed camping during evening hours if there were not enough shelter beds available.
The vote, which will make it easier for city officials to remove encampments on public sidewalks and parks, was a priority for Mayor Jay Ruais, a Republican who was elected in November. And it heralds a potential shift in the way New Hampshire cities and towns approach homelessness after the Supreme Court ruling, critics say.
In the case, City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the court ruled along ideological lines, 6-3, that the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution does not prevent a municipality from evicting homeless people from public spaces – and that there is no requirement that those municipalities secure adequate shelter housing for them before carrying out such an eviction.
But even as cities like Manchester move toward enforcement actions, the ACLU and other New Hampshire civil rights groups say there are still avenues to stop those actions in state law. And they have urged cities and towns to move cautiously and humanely.
“We continue to warn New Hampshire officials and law enforcement that efforts to criminalize the unhoused may still violate the New Hampshire Constitution – and we’ll be watching,” Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, said in a statement.
A dramatic shift
The Supreme Court’s ruling is a major swing in policy for cities like Manchester. Before last month, many municipalities and states followed the lead of a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision: Martin v. Boise.
In that decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco held that it would constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” under the Eighth Amendment for a government body to force out a homeless person from a public property if there were no reasonable alternatives for that person to find shelter.
Evictions could happen only if beds or shelter were available to those who were being evicted, the Ninth Circuit held.
The decision did not have direct legal power over New Hampshire, which is under the jurisdiction of the First Circuit Court of Appeals. But it still influenced homelessness policy, noted Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU, in an interview.
After Martin v. Boise, cities and towns were more cautious when it came to eviction attempts, Bissonnette said. And city councilors in Manchester passed the ordinance that allowed camping in public spaces when there is no shelter space available.
“Many cities and towns – though that’s not binding in New Hampshire – were basically applying that principle, and I think to their credit,” Bissonnette said. “Saying ‘we’re not going to cite people or evict people from public places unless there is some shelter space available.’”
Manchester’s ordinance did not prevent all evictions. In January, the city removed a homeless encampment on a sidewalk, in a move that was later upheld by the Hillsborough County Superior Court after the judge found there was adequate shelter elsewhere. But the ordinance did require more deliberation and care, advocates say.
The Grants Pass decision struck a fatal blow to the Martin v. Boise precedent. In it, conservative justices directly rejected plaintiffs’ arguments that evicting someone without offering an alternative housing option is unconstitutional.
After the board of aldermen vote, Ruais hailed the change, arguing in a statement that it would allow the city to “make our streets safe, clean, and passable.” But he vowed to address homelessness in other areas.
“We must address this challenge in a comprehensive way, and we have already undertaken 11 initiatives to address the underlying drivers of homelessness and the need for more affordable housing in our city,” he said.
Continuing the fight
As some housing advocates privately worry about large-scale clearouts, Bissonnette says he believes such actions could still be challenged. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the U.S. Constitution, the state constitution could still prevent similar evictions, he says.
New Hampshire has its own version of the Eighth Amendment. Article 33 of Part I of the state constitution states that: “No Magistrate, or Court of Law, shall demand excessive bail or sureties, impose excessive fines, or inflict cruel or unusual punishments.”
Unlike the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishments,” the state constitution uses the word “or,” Bissonnette said, which could make it easier to apply.
“We have always taken the position that our state constitution provides more protections than the Eighth Amendment,” Bissonnette said.
And he noted that at least one superior court judge appears to agree. When Manchester attempted to clear out homeless people on Pine and Manchester streets in January, the ACLU and New Hampshire Legal Assistance sued the city in an attempt to get an injunction to stop the action.
Judge John C. Kissinger ultimately rejected that attempt, but in his order he also stated: “If there were no safe alternatives available, the Court would agree that forced removal of the encampment would likely violate the State and federal constitutional rights of the people residing in the encampment.”
In that case, Kissinger held that there had been safe alternatives, pointing to the city’s contention that month that 31 beds were available at the Cashin Senior Activity Center and three beds at a facility run by Families in Transition, and that a warming shelter was available at the 1269 Café.
But legal rights groups say Kissinger’s order could open the door to applying Article 33 against homeless evictions in cases where there weren’t enough shelter beds. The Grants Pass decision does not apply to the state constitution.
It is unclear how the state Supreme Court might rule on the Article 33 argument. In the meantime, legal groups are increasing their political appeals.
In a letter sent shortly before the July 2 board of aldermen vote, the ACLU and NHLA urged Manchester to show restraint, and wrote that incarcerating homeless people “only fuels mass incarceration, keeping people in an endless cycle of poverty, and institutionalization.”
“Whatever the United States Supreme Court may say about the Eighth Amendment, elected officials have always had a choice,” the letter states. “They can decide to invest in solutions – like safe, long-term housing and low-barrier shelters, as well as wraparound services and voluntary mental health and substance use treatment – which will increase people’s chances of obtaining employment and housing.”
Ruais and others say they are moving forward intentionally and humanely.
“If an individual wants and needs help, it is available,” he said in a statement. “However, anyone choosing to ignore our ordinances or break the law, will be subject to the applicable legal consequences.”
Recently published data reflect the ongoing increases in the price of child care and decreases in access to care in New Hampshire, placing additional economic strain on Granite State families seeking affordable and high-quality care for their children. The price of child care for a family with an infant and a four-year old seeking center-based care averaged about $30,000 in 2025, up from $22,500 in 2017, while the number of licensed center and home-based child care providers has declined by 120 since 2017.
The national organization Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) released its 2025 annual report on May 13, 2026. The report outlines the state-by-state early childhood education landscape, including both the price of care and provider supply within each state. In New Hampshire, these data were collected through the CCAoA’s New Hampshire Child Care Resource and Referral Agency and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Together, these data provide valuable, and updated, insights into the state’s early childhood care landscape and the challenges Granite State families face in accessing and affording child care services.
Rising price of early childhood education in NH
Based on analysis conducted by CCAoA, the average price of child care in New Hampshire in 2025 remains high for Granite State families. The average price of care for an infant and toddler in center-based care was $16,462 and $15,262, respectively, in 2025. For home-based care, the 2025 average price was $12,017 for an infant and $11,732 for a toddler. Furthermore, for a family with an infant and toddler making approximately the median income for a married couple with two children under age 5 in New Hampshire, the price of center-based care for their children would amount to approximately 25% of their family income. This financial burden is even greater for a single or unmarried mother, earning the median income of approximately $52,000 in New Hampshire, as paying the full average price of center-based child care for an infant and toddler would consume 61% of family income.
Additionally, these prices in care have increased substantially over time. From 2017 to 2025, the average enrollment price of center-based care and home-based care increased 32% and 30%, respectively. The largest increase in tuition prices during this period was 33% for toddlers and 4-year-olds in center-based care, as well as for 4-year-olds in home-based care. These increases in tuition prices outpaced inflation during the same period.
For many Granite State families, the price for child care tuition will represent their greatest annual expense, particularly for families with multiple children and those living in rural regions of the state. According to Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator, a family with two adults and two children living in Coos County, the New Hampshire county with the lowest cost of living, would spend on average 2.5 times more for center-based care for an infant and toddler than they would on housing. As affordability challenges and the overall cost of living continue to rise, some families may have to contend with difficult tradeoffs among essential household and family expenses, including child care services.
Although care for infants and toddlers are often the most expensive forms of care, child care-related expenses do not end once children enter kindergarten. Many families continue paying for before- and after-school programs, summer care, and school vacation coverage for years afterward. As a result, the costs outlined in this analysis likely represent only one portion of the broader child care expenses many Granite State families face.
Childcare supply challenges persist
While the price of child care tuition in New Hampshire remains high, the number of licensed providers has declined over time. The CCAoA’s report indicated that, in 2025, there were 613 licensed center-based programs and 104 home-based programs across New Hampshire. However, since 2017, the number of licensed center-based and home-based programs decreased by 10% and 32%, respectively. The greater closure rate in home-based programs across the State may have a disproportionate impact on families with low and moderate incomes seeking more affordable care options, as well as families in rural regions, communities of color, and families seeking non-traditional hour care, who rely more on this type of care to fill the gaps in available care from other providers. This decrease in number of providers, particulars those in home-based settings and in rural regions of the State, has likely placed further strain on family’s access to care, as they may have to travel longer distances for child care services.
Alongside the overall decline in child care providers during this period, the number of center-based programs participating in the New Hampshire Quality Rated Improvement System, or Granite Steps for Quality (GSQ), a statewide program designed to assess and improve the quality of care services in early childhood education settings, has decreased 16%. Of the remaining 99 providers that participated in the GSQ in 2025, only four reached the highest level of quality, or step 4 of the GSQ. These findings suggest that, as families navigate New Hampshire’s shrinking child care supply landscape in the State, they are encountering fewer options that offer recognized high-quality care services.
Families and providers continue to face growing financial pressures
The average tuition prices reported in the CCAoA’s analysis of the New Hampshire Early Childhood Education landscape do not necessarily reflect the cost of care all families pay for enrollment, or the cost providers pay for delivery of care services. Many families with low and moderate incomes qualify for the New Hampshire’s Child Care Scholarship Program (NHCCSP), a federal-State fiscal partnership that helps Granite State families afford child care through a tiered voucher system. Families who are eligible to participate in the NHCCSP may pay a weekly “cost share” of anywhere from $0 to 7% of their family income, with different tiers of eligibility depending on those family income levels. Families enrolled in the NHCCSP may also be charged a “co-payment” by the provider if tuition exceeds the weekly standard rates set by DHHS. In 2024, State policymakers expanded NHCCSP income eligibility for families, resulting in a significant increase in the number of families enrolled in the program, though this growth has slowed in recent months.
Beyond the increase in eligibility for families in the 2024 expansion, policymakers also increased reimbursement rates for participating providers. While the provider reimbursement rates are set through the State’s Child Care Market Rate Survey, the prices only account for enrollment tuition prices. Consequently, these rates only capture what providers estimate families are willing and able to pay, but do not necessarily account for the provider costs for delivering high-quality care services and operating costs, including facility expenses, workforce and staff compensation, staff training, professional development training, as well as other costs. To supplement this gap in revenue, some providers turn to additional revenue streams such as grants, donations, and fundraising initiatives.
The rising price of child care tuition, coupled with the declining supply of providers in recent years, reflects the growing financial pressures families and child care providers face in New Hampshire. While programs such as the NHCCSP have an important and necessary role in reducing these barriers, additional State funding initiatives and policy strategies may be needed to more adequately address these challenges and provide meaningful financial relief for families seeking to access child care.
The New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute is sharing these articles with the partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. NHFPI is an independent nonprofit organization that explores, develops and promotes public policies that foster economic opportunity and prosperity for all New Hampshire residents. For more information visit nhfpi.org. These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
SALEM, N.H. — A Lowell High School freshman was identified on Friday as the victim of a fatal shooting in Salem, where authorities say the 15‑year‑old was found dead outside a home during the pre-dawn hours.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella’s office said in a press release that police responding to a 911 call discovered the teen, identified as Wichai Saksene, just outside the residence on Orchard Terrace.
An autopsy later determined he died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, and his death has been ruled a homicide.
Authorities said the circumstances remain under active investigation but noted there is no known threat to the public, as all involved parties have been identified.
In a message that began “sad news for your awareness,” Lowell Public Schools Superintendent Liam Skinner told School Committee members that Saksene was a Lowell High freshman and former student of Stoklosa Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School.
He added that central office staff are assisting Lowell High with communications to staff and families and that Student Support Services has activated a critical incident team to be at the high school on Monday.
The Salem Police Department stated in a social media post that they are working with the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit and Formella’s office to investigate the shooting.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
New Hampshire
Transgender former New Hampshire state representative sentenced to 33 years for child sex abuse: report
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A transgender former New Hampshire state representative will spend more than three decades in federal prison after admitting to receiving nude photos of children at a Massachusetts daycare.
Stacie Marie Laughton, 41, of Nashua was sentenced to more than 33 years behind bars after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of children, according to a report from local outlet WCVB.
Laughton received the explicit images from his former intimate partner, Lindsay Groves, 40, of Hudson, New Hampshire, who was sentenced earlier this month to 22 years in prison, according to the report.
FORMER SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AND BOYFRIEND FACE 38 CHILD SEX CHARGES AS BOND NEARS 9 MILLION
Former transgender Democrat New Hampshire Rep. Stacie Marie Laughton pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children, according to the Nashua Police Department. (Nashua Police Department)
Groves, who previously pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography, was employed at the Creative Minds daycare in neighboring Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Authorities said that between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves took multiple photos of prepubescent children in a private bathroom during routine diaper and pull-up changes prior to nap time.
WASHINGTON STATE TEACHER CHARGED WITH INCEST AFTER ALLEGEDLY HAVING SEX WITH TWO TEENAGE BOYS SHE ADOPTED
Stacie Marie Laughton was sentenced to 33 years in prison. (Citizens Count)
Groves then sent the photos to Laughton via text message, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A forensic review of Laughton and Groves’ cellphones uncovered more than 10,000 text messages sent between the two over a one-month period in 2023.
Court documents revealed the messages included discussions about and transfers of explicit images of children, including victims as young as 3 to 5 years old.
Lindsay Groves used her position at a daycare to take illegal photos that were later shared with Laughton, authorities said. (Nashua Police Department)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed all the children in the case were identified, and their families were contacted by law enforcement.
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Hillsborough County jail officials confirmed to NH Journal that Laughton has been housed in the male population.
Creative Minds Early Learning Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
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