This article contains promotional content .(November 2021) |
John Formella | |
---|---|
31st Attorney General of New Hampshire | |
Assumed office April 22, 2021 | |
Governor | Chris Sununu Kelly Ayotte (elect) |
Preceded by | Gordon J. MacDonald |
Personal details | |
Born | 1986or1987(age 37–38) Rochester,Minnesota,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Education | Florida State University (BA,MS) George Washington University (JD) |
Signature | |
John Michael Formella (born 1986/1987) [1] is an American lawyer serving as the 31st Attorney General of New Hampshire since 2021. He previously served as legal counsel for Governor Chris Sununu. [1] [2] [3]
Formella was born in Rochester,Minnesota,to John and Nancy Formella. He has been a resident of New Hampshire since 1999,when his family relocated to New Hampshire from Florida. [4] He attended Florida State University from 2004 to 2009,where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in English Literature and later an M.S. in Applied American Politics and Policy. Formella later attended George Washington University Law School,where he graduated with honors and was a member of the George Washington University International Law Review. In 2009,Formella served as a legislative intern for Florida State Representative Steve Crisafulli. In 2010,he served as a judicial intern to United States district judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington of the Middle District of Florida. [5]
After graduating from law school in 2012,Formella began his career in private practice at Pierce Atwood LLP --- one of the largest law firms in Northern New England at the time. At Pierce Atwood,Formella practiced actively in New Hampshire,Massachusetts and Maine and was a member of the Firm's Business and Environmental Law practice groups. [6] He left the firm in January 2017 to accept an appointment as Legal Counsel to incoming New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.
Formella served as Governor Chris Sununu's legal counsel from Sununu's first day in office on January 5,2017,through April 16,2021. In that role,he advised the Governor and coordinated with the New Hampshire Department of Justice and Executive Branch officials on all significant legal issues and litigation affecting the State. In addition,he worked with the Sununu administration to address numerous and significant challenges,including the negotiation of a revised seven year MET/DSH settlement agreement that brought stability to New Hampshire's healthcare system,the establishment of a new Doorway Program that greatly enhanced the State's response to the Opioid Crisis,criminal justice reform initiatives that secured the support of law enforcement and community stakeholders,and the multi-faceted efforts that the State of New Hampshire undertook to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. [5]
On March 3,2021,Governor Chris Sununu nominated Formella to succeed Gordon J. MacDonald as New Hampshire Attorney General. Formella was confirmed by the Executive Council of New Hampshire in a 4-1 party line vote on March 24,2021,and sworn into office on April 22,2021. [7]
As Attorney General,Formella serves as the New Hampshire's Chief Law Enforcement Officer,Chief Prosecutor,and Chief Legal Officer.
Formella has continued the efforts of past New Hampshire Attorneys General to pursue companies responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic. On September 28,2021,Formella announced that New Hampshire would join a $21 billion settlement with opioid distributors McKesson Corporation,Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen. [8] Under the settlement,New Hampshire will receive approximately $115 million over 18 years.
Since taking office,Formella has joined in several efforts to push back against actions by President Joe Biden's administration. New Hampshire is part of a coalition of 13 states that are suing the Biden administration over a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act that bars states from using relief money to offset tax cuts. [9] In August 2021,Formella partnered with 19 other attorneys general to submit comments opposing proposed rules from The Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that would increase regulation of firearms kits. [10] And in September 2021,Formella joined with 23 other Republican Attorneys General in a letter to President Joe Biden threatening legal action against the President's planned requirement that all businesses with over 100 employees institute a mandatory vaccination or testing requirement. [11]
As part of an investigation into the impact of social media on young people in 2023,Formella asked families to share stories of teenagers and children who were harmed by social media. [12]
On January 17,2023,John Formella along with Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport announced an enforcement action against the Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131),Christopher Hood and Leo Anthony Cullinan for violating New Hampshire's Civil Rights Act and conspiring to violate New Hampshire's Civil Rights Act. The civil complaint read as that Hood,Cullinan and NSC-131 members trespassed onto an overpass and hung a banner reading "Keep New England White",and that these actions were motivated by race. [13] These charges were eventually dismissed by Rockingham County Superior Court Judge David Ruoff. [14]
On December 12,2023,John Formella announced an enforcement action by the New Hampshire Department of Justice's Civil Rights Unit against Nationalist Social Club-131 ("NSC-131"),Christopher Hood,and nineteen John Does for violating the New Hampshire Law Against Discrimination,RSA Chapter 354-A. The civil complaint alleges that Hood led a group of 19 John Does tried to intimidate the Teatotaller Cáfe into stopping their drag story hour. [15] The case is still ongoing.
Stephen Everett Merrill was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Manchester,New Hampshire. He served as the 77th governor of New Hampshire from 1993 to 1997.
The New Hampshire Department of Justice (NHDOJ) is a government agency of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The department is led by the Attorney General of New Hampshire,currently John Formella. NHDOJ headquarters are located at 33 Capitol Street in Concord.
The 2016 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held November 8,2016,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Hampshire,concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primary election to select the candidates who appeared on the general election ballot took place on September 13,2016.
The 2014 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 4,2014,to elect the governor of New Hampshire,concurrently with the election to New Hampshire's Class II U.S. Senate seat,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire were held on Tuesday,November 4,2014,to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of New Hampshire,one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices,including governor of New Hampshire and U.S. senator. This election marked the first time since 1992 that New Hampshire elected members of two parties into the House of Representatives,and is to date the only time since 2010 that Republicans won any congressional election in New Hampshire.
Christopher Thomas Sununu is an American politician and engineer who has served since 2017 as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire.
The 2016 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2016,to elect the governor of New Hampshire,concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election,as well as elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Dan Feltes is an American lawyer,a member of the Democratic Party,and represented the 15th district of the New Hampshire Senate from 2014 until 2020. At the age of 39,Feltes became the youngest Majority Leader in the history of the New Hampshire Senate. Feltes was characterized by Steve Shurtleff,the former Speaker of the New Hampshire House,as the most effective consensus builder at the State House in two decades. He was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2020,he now teaches at Iowa Law school,and is a practicing attorney at Iowa Legal Aid.
The 2020 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 3,2020,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Hampshire,concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen won reelection to a third term after comfortably defeating Republican nominee Bryant Messner by 15.6 points and sweeping every single county in the state. This marked the first Senate election since 1972 in which the Democrat carried Belknap County.
The 2018 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican governor Chris Sununu won re-election to a second term,defeating former state senator Molly Kelly. Sununu was the first incumbent Republican to win reelection as governor since Steve Merrill was reelected in 1994.
The 2020 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 3,2020,to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican governor Chris Sununu was re-elected to a third two-year term in office,defeating his opponent Dan Feltes,the Majority Leader of the Senate. Nine governors ran for re-election in this cycle and all nine were re-elected. Sununu's win marked the first time since 1986 that a Republican was elected to a third term as governor,in which year his father,John H. Sununu was reelected for his third and final term. The elder Sununu chose not to seek reelection in 1988,instead becoming George H. W. Bush's chief of staff in 1989.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire were held on November 6,2018,to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of New Hampshire,one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Gordon J. MacDonald is an American attorney who has served as the chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court since 2021. He previously served as the 30th attorney general of New Hampshire from 2017 to 2021.
Anna Barbara "Bobbie" Hantz Marconi is an American lawyer who has served as a justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Marconi was appointed to the court by Governor Chris Sununu in 2017.
Joyce Craig is an American politician who served as the 56th mayor of Manchester,New Hampshire. She was the first female mayor of the city,having been elected in 2017.
The 2022 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 8,2022,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Hampshire. The primary elections were held on September 13,2022. Incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan was re-elected over Republican retired brigadier general Don Bolduc by an unexpectedly large margin of 9.1% that surpassed most polls. Hassan won her initial bid for this seat in 2016 by only 1,017 votes or 0.14%. This election marked the first time a Democrat won re-election to New Hampshire's class 3 Senate seat.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire were held on November 8,2022,to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of New Hampshire,one from each of the state's two congressional districts.
The 2022 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican Governor Chris Sununu won election to a fourth term,defeating Democratic nominee Tom Sherman.
Nationalist Social Club-131,or NSC-131,is an American neo-Nazi organization;the numbers 131 are an alphanumeric code for "Anti-Communist Action". It was founded in 2019 in eastern Massachusetts by Chris Hood,who had previously tried other neo-fascist groups such as Patriot Front,the Proud Boys,and the Base. The group first attracted the attention of anti-extremism researchers during the George Floyd protests in mid-2020,which NSC-131 members hoped to leverage to increase their recruiting. Along with Patriot Front,NSC-131 is one of the most active white nationalist groups in New England as of 2022.
Cinde Warmington is an American attorney,politician,and former lobbyist. A Democrat,Warmington was elected to the Executive Council of New Hampshire in November 2020,assuming office on January 6,2021.