When photographers and journalists flood tiny Haverhill, N.H., this April for the trial of Robert Tulloch, the man controlling the floodwaters will be Grafton County Superior Court Clerk Bob Muh.
Clerks function as administrators of the court; Muh, a 14-year veteran of Grafton County Superior Court, heads a staff of seven that oversees security, scheduling, local court procedures and press relations.
A high-profile case is a rarity for Grafton County. While homicides do occur, many are settled with guilty pleas before going to trial.
In his tenure in Grafton, Muh recalls two cases that received special attention: the 1992 murder of an Ethiopian graduate student in Hanover and a 1989 incident in which a Canadian truck driver's load of lumber slipped off of the vehicle and onto a nearby police cruiser, killing three.
The latter trial met with controversy because many thought it should have been classified as a civil case; ultimately, the trucker was found not guilty of negligent homicide.
Judges at the Superior Court preside over four legal categories: felony criminal matters (and a limited number of district court misdemeanor cases on appeal), civil cases, a few domestic cases and the equity docket.
The last group functions as a catch-all for matters that don't fit elsewhere -- for example, if a neighbor harasses another or shoots "in the direction of their house." Muh noted there's been "quite an increase" in charges of this variety in recent years.
When a big case such as the Zantop murders does come up, Muh spends a lot of time on the phone with members of the press, explaining what various developments mean and alerting them as to what happens next.
Muh described media outlets as generally "pretty understanding and reasonable," but conflicts do occasionally arise.
In one instance, a judge issued an order allowing cameras into the courtroom while prohibiting shots of the jury or witnesses. But one photographer's panoramic shot caught the jury box, and thus the court was forced to discuss sanctions.
After authorities apprehended James Parker in Indiana, the minor's picture was splashed across the front page of New Hampshire's Union Leader. Yet once he entered New Hampshire, the Superior Court's confidentiality clause kicked in.
"We couldn't even acknowledge he existed," Muh said.
When asked about his favorite part of the job, Muh praised an "incredible staff" that includes many Grafton Court veterans of more than 20 years.
"I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't learn something new," he said.One of the struggles of Muh's profession comes from interacting with persons representing themselves in legal proceedings.
Though court staffers can give such persons procedural advice (how to file a motion, etc), they have to stop short of offering anything bordering on legal advice. Despite the constraints, Muh said that working with such persons can be rewarding.
The schedule at Grafton County Superior Court varies widely from day to day; Mondays are typically hectic, as Grafton schedules much of its criminal docket on that day to balance the schedule for public defenders working at numerous area courts. The first Monday of every month is devoted to jury selection and instruction.
On quieter days, officials attend structuring conferences and set up discovery and motion deadlines.
A New Jersey native, Muh attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he concentrated in National Security and Public Affairs.
While in college, Muh had the opportunity to study under such figures as the future NATO Commander in Bosnia and the head of the Office of National Drug Policy.
After West Point, Muh worked for the Army in a variety of capacities, including rifle platoon leader, company executive officer and operations officer. Some of his jobs incorporated legal work, and when it came time to decide what to do next, he settled on law school at Boston College.
Though professing happiness with his current occupation, Muh described his choice to leave the armed forces as "one of those things that you always look back at and wonder if you made the right decision."
Before coming to Grafton, Muh also served a stint as the Assistant Attorney General in Concord. The combination of the legal experience he gained here and the administrative practice of the army helped to lead him to the clerkship in Grafton. At the Superior Court level, New Hampshire requires clerks to hold law degrees.
