Our great mistake is to try to exact from each person virtues which he does not possess, and to neglect the cultivation of those which he has -Marguerite Yource
A Democratic New Hampshire lawmaker clocked at over 100 mph is fighting her speeding charges by arguing the state constitution shields her from being stopped by police while traveling to or from legislative session.
State Rep. Ellen Read was hit with two separate speeding cases — one in December 2024 for allegedly driving over 100 mph in Windham, and another in June 2025 for doing 92 in a 65 zone in Londonderry. In both instances, she told officers she was returning from the General Court and displayed her official state representative license plate.
Her legal argument rests on a 1784 constitutional provision that says no legislator "shall be arrested, or held to bail" while going to or from session. A judge already rejected the argument in her first case, finding her guilty and fining her $1,240. The state Supreme Court declined to take up the constitutional question before her second case proceeds.