Opinion of the Justices

To the Governor and the Honorable Council:

The undersigned justices of the supreme court return the following answers to the questions contained in your resolution adopted September 2, 1976, and filed here on the same date.

Your first question is:

“Does the authority to suspend and/or remove the Warden of the New Hampshire State Prison reside exclusively in the Board of Prison Trustees or in the Governor and Council?”

The starting point of the inquiry is RSA 4:1 which provides as follows:

“Removal of Public Officers for Cause. Except as otherwise specifically provided, no official of the state…