NH Supreme Court overturns former state Sen. Woodburn’s domestic violence conviction

Article here. Excerpt:

'The New Hampshire Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of former state Sen. Jeffrey Woodburn, who was found guilty on domestic violence charges stemming from an altercation with his then-girlfriend following a Christmas party in 2017.

In a 3-0 opinion released Thursday, the justices found that a lower court judge’s refusal to allow the jury to consider Woodburn’s self-defense claim was improper.

Writing for the court, Justice James Bassett said that “because the record contains some evidence supporting a rational finding that the defendant acted in self-defense, the trial court’s refusal to instruct the jury on that theory of defense was unreasonable.”

Woodburn’s case will now be sent back to a lower court for a new trial, where he will be allowed to present his self-defense arguments.'