Overview
- State Rep. Ellen Read has asked courts to dismiss or suppress evidence from two traffic stops by invoking a 1784 constitutional clause that bars arrest while legislators travel to or from the General Court.
- Read was pulled over twice — an I‑93 stop on Dec. 2, 2024 accused of more than 100 mph and a June 5, 2025 stop for an alleged 92 mph in a 65 mph zone — and her filings say she told officers she was returning from legislative duties.
- A judge found Read guilty of negligent driving at an August 2025 bench trial, imposing a $1,240 fine with part deferred, and the trial court has an Aug. 12, 2026 hearing to review the deferred component while the second case remains to be scheduled.
- The New Hampshire Supreme Court declined to hear her constitutional claim on June 11, 2026 and denied reconsideration on July 2, 2026, but court records still list the matters as pending despite statements from Read’s office calling them closed.
- Read’s legal team disputes officers’ accounts — citing the car’s age and lack of radar, a State House employee’s differing testimony, and questions about body‑camera footage — while colleagues from both parties say the 1784 privilege was meant to prevent interference with legislative work, not to bar routine traffic enforcement.