NH Judge Todd Prevett Faces Ethics Charges Over Guardianship Case

A series of ethics violations have been filed against a New Hampshire circuit court judge regarding his management of a Milford guardianship matter, which features claims that he conducted an unauthorized personal inquiry into one of the individuals involved outside official proceedings.

Judge Todd Prevett is facing multiple complaints from the New Hampshire Judicial Conduct Committee for allegedly breaching the state’s ethical standards by displaying prejudice toward the mother in the matter and looking into her criminal history. He’s also accused of allegedly misleading investigators about his actions.

Prevett continues to hear cases at the Milford District Court, according to a state Judicial Branch spokesperson.

Having taken his oath as a judge in 2021, Prevett has previously encountered the prospect of disciplinary measures. A formal reprimand was issued to him in 2024 following his effort to access a closed courthouse to submit documents for a personal matter. In that 2024 disciplinary proceeding, he admitted his mistake and was assigned a senior judge as a mentor.

The Milford guardianship case

The current inquiry arises from a December 2024 proceeding centered on a mother trying to regain custody of her child, who had been under the guardianship of relatives for roughly a decade. The Judicial Conduct Committee reported that Prevett engaged in several questionable actions, such as issuing a written decision against the mother’s reunification plea that “contained several expressions of hostility and disdain towards the mother.”

Investigators said that Prevett utilized an internet-based court system to search for the mother’s Massachusetts criminal history, despite the fact that those documents were never introduced as evidence during the proceedings.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court overturned Prevett’s initial ruling in the guardianship case and sent it back to a lower court for further review. The justices also notified a supervisory judge to look into Prevett’s handling of the matter.

Through a letter delivered to the Judicial Conduct Committee in December 2025, Prevett offered a defense for his conduct regarding the matter. Nevertheless, the committee concluded after its inquiry that Prevett likely breached multiple provisions of the state’s ethics guidelines, stating further that his defense “lacked candor” and contained factual errors. A public hearing on the allegations against Prevett has not yet been scheduled.

Prior courthouse incident

During the 2024 disciplinary matter involving Prevett, allegations arose that he attempted to leverage his judicial status to gain entry into a separate courthouse. The incident occurred when he traveled to a Concord court facility to submit documents concerning a personal guardianship matter, but the building was scheduled for a delayed opening that day because of staff-wide training.

While speaking with a security guard, Prevett stated he was a judge at another courthouse and requested a favor. The security guard ultimately denied Prevett entry to the building until it opened to the public. Prevett later admitted to investigators that his actions were improper. At the time, he had no other disciplinary infractions on his record.