CONCORD — In a split decision, the 1st Circuit Court sent an appeal by disabled N.H. House Democrats seeking remote participation in the Legislature back to the U.S. District Court in Concord for further consideration.
However, the order won’t end the contentious case. The appeal court’s role was solely to determine whether District Court Judge Landya McCafferty was wrong in holding that House Speaker Sherman Packard’s claim of legislative immunity prevents the Democrats from getting the injunctive relief they sought.
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