The Rockefeller Center congratulates Senior Associate Justice James P. Bassett '78 of the New Hampshire Supreme Court on his service to the state and the rule of law

On April 15, 2025, Senior Associate Justice James Bassett announced that he plans to retire from the New Hampshire Supreme Court at the end of the summer. For 13 years, Justice Bassett has served on the Court with distinction, taking on leadership roles of various types, including Chair of the Access to Justice Commission over the past six years.

Justice Bassett has been a true friend to the Rockefeller Center throughout his years on the bench, mentoring many Dartmouth undergraduates in his chambers and ensuring such opportunities endure for generations of students to come. Students have said that the time they spent with Justice Bassett in chambers has been a transformative part of their Dartmouth experience. Even years later, a former intern, Ethan Fairbanks '19, remarked that he "was reminded of how much I learned during my time with Justice Bassett … as an intern, I learned how to think about legal practice—and began to understand that law is something we do."

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Justice Bassett with Ethan Fairbanks '19

Indeed, it was Justice Bassett who approached the College years ago with a vision that would eventually become the Rockefeller Center's Judicial Fellowship Program, which is currently having its inaugural year in 2025. In this first full year of the Fellowship, 13 Judicial Fellows will be spending a leave term in alumnae/i judicial chambers across twelve different states. The Judicial Fellowship Program would not exist without Justice Bassett's vision and persistence.

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Justice Basset with Judicial Fellowship Interns and Rockefeller Center Faculty.
From left to right: Prof. Herschel Nachlis, Justice Bassett, Prof. Julie Kalish, Skylar Wiseman '24, Ryan Penney '24, Devontae Lacasse '24, and Jess Chiriboga '24

Charlotte Baugher '26, served this past winter as Justice Bassett's first official "Judicial Fellow" (the Fellowship Program formalizes and expands nationally the types of internships Bassett has provided to Dartmouth students for years) and said, "Justice Bassett and his law clerks were all incredible, and I could not have asked for a better team to work with. …I loved being a part of Justice Bassett's chambers, even if only for a few months!"

Recognizing the rich potential of collaboration with the College and its students, Justice Bassett has also worked closely with the Rockefeller Center's Policy Research Shop to advance research on key access to justice questions facing the New Hampshire court system. He has been generous with his own time and contacts, and has served on a number of panels over the years and helped to bring many law-related speakers to campus.

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Justice Basset with Policy Research Shop students after their presentation about the efficacy of New Hampshire's existing Circuit Court Navigator Program.
From left to right: Justice Bassett, Sofia Piraino '27, Annabelle Pietryka '26, and JJ Dega '26

Justice Bassett may be retiring from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, but don't be surprised if you still see him from time to time on campus. As Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald '83 noted, "​​Justice Bassett's legacy is one of exceptional service to the public… [He] spent decades in service to his community and New Hampshire's non-profit sector. On the court, he has not only been a highly dedicated and respected jurist, but also a tireless advocate for improvements to our justice system." Whether serving his local town of Canterbury, his beloved alma mater, or the various communities that make up the backbone of the rule of law, we expect that the next chapter for Justice Bassett, following his retirement from the Supreme Court, will be a rich and rewarding one, one that includes continued connections to the Rockefeller Center and to Dartmouth.