New Hampshire courts are closed for the first of at least three scheduled days because of budget reductions.
All 78 courts in 40 locations statewide are closed today and employees, including judges and marital masters, are on unpaid furloughs. Courts will also close on April 30 and May 28.
The court closures are in response to a request by Governor John Lynch to cut judicial expenditures by $3 million during fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
The justices also have designated 11 additional dates on which courts could be shuttered to achieve additional savings. Those dates start July 2 and include one day each month through May 2011.