John Formella

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John Formella
BornJohn Michael Formella
BirthplaceRochester, Minnesota, U.S.
OccupationLawyer, government official
Known forAttorney General of New Hampshire; legal counsel to Governor Chris Sununu
EducationFlorida State University (BA, MS)
George Washington University (JD)

John Michael Formella (born 1986 or 1987) is an American lawyer and government official serving as the 31st Attorney General of New Hampshire. He assumed office on April 22, 2021, after being nominated by Governor Chris Sununu and confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council.[1] Born in Rochester, Minnesota, and raised in New Hampshire, Formella previously served as legal counsel to Governor Sununu before his appointment to the state's top law enforcement position. As attorney general, he has overseen significant legal actions including New Hampshire's participation in a national opioid settlement, enforcement actions against white supremacist organizations, and litigation related to the impact of social media on children. In 2025, he served as president of the National Association of Attorneys General.[2] Following an initial period of uncertainty regarding his renomination under Governor Kelly Ayotte, Formella was nominated and unanimously confirmed by the Executive Council to a second four-year term in September 2025.[3]

Early Life

John Michael Formella was born in Rochester, Minnesota.[2] Details about his upbringing and family background are limited in publicly available records, though he has been identified with the state of New Hampshire, where he built his legal career. The New Hampshire Union Leader profiled Formella as part of its "40 Under Forty" feature, recognizing him as a young professional making notable contributions in the Portsmouth area.[4]

Education

Formella attended Florida State University, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Science degree. He subsequently obtained his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School.[2]

Career

Early Legal Career

Before entering government service, Formella practiced law in the private sector in New Hampshire. He was based in the Portsmouth area and gained recognition as a rising young professional in the state's legal community, as evidenced by his inclusion in the Union LeaderTemplate:'s "40 Under Forty" list when he was 32 years old.[4]

Legal Counsel to Governor Sununu

Formella served as legal counsel to New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. In this role, he provided legal advice to the governor's office on matters of state law and policy. His position as the governor's top legal adviser placed him at the center of New Hampshire state government operations and gave him significant experience in executive branch legal affairs.[5]

Nomination and Confirmation as Attorney General

On March 2, 2021, Governor Sununu announced his intention to nominate Formella as New Hampshire's next attorney general, succeeding Gordon MacDonald, who had been elevated to the state judiciary.[6] Formella's nomination was subsequently confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council, and he took office as the 31st Attorney General of New Hampshire on April 22, 2021.[1] Governor Sununu released a statement following the confirmation, expressing support for Formella's appointment to the position.[7]

Opioid Settlement

One of the significant actions undertaken during Formella's tenure as attorney general was New Hampshire's participation in a major national opioid settlement. In September 2021, Formella announced that New Hampshire would join a $21 billion national opioid settlement with pharmaceutical distributors.[8] The settlement was part of a broader nationwide effort to hold pharmaceutical companies and distributors accountable for their roles in the opioid epidemic that had devastated communities across the United States, including in New Hampshire, which experienced some of the highest per capita rates of opioid-related deaths in the country.

Enforcement Actions Against White Supremacist Groups

Under Formella's leadership, the New Hampshire Department of Justice pursued enforcement actions against white supremacist organizations operating in the state. In December 2023, the attorney general's office took action against the Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131), a neo-Nazi group that had been active in New Hampshire.[9]

The case attracted national attention. The Nationalist Social Club had been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an extremist organization.[10] Members of the group were accused of violating civil rights law by disrupting a drag show event in New Hampshire, among other activities.[11] The legal proceedings were not without challenges; a judge was asked to consider dismissing certain aspects of the case at one point during the litigation.[12]

In January 2023, the New Hampshire Department of Justice also announced other enforcement actions under Formella's direction.[13]

Social Media Litigation

Formella joined a broader coalition of state attorneys general in legal actions concerning the impact of social media on children and young people. The attorney general's office participated in multistate efforts to address concerns about the effects of social media platforms on youth mental health.[14] These actions were part of a wider national trend in which attorneys general from both Republican and Democratic backgrounds pursued legal accountability from major technology companies over the design and operation of their platforms.[15]

Multistate Coalitions and Federal Involvement

As attorney general, Formella participated in various multistate legal coalitions. He was among attorneys general from multiple states who engaged in legal actions related to federal policy matters, including those involving the administration of President Joe Biden.[16]

Cold Case Unit Expansion

In August 2025, Formella, alongside Governor Kelly Ayotte, announced an expansion of New Hampshire's Cold Case Unit. The expansion added full-time investigators from the New Hampshire Department of Justice to the unit, increasing the state's capacity to investigate unsolved criminal cases.[17]

Renomination and Second Term

Following the election of Governor Kelly Ayotte in 2024, questions arose about whether Formella would continue in his role. In March 2025, reports indicated that Ayotte was not renominating Formella as attorney general at that time.[18] However, on August 26, 2025, Governor Ayotte formally nominated Formella for a second term as attorney general.[19][20]

On September 17, 2025, the Executive Council unanimously confirmed Formella to a second four-year term as attorney general.[3] The Republican Attorneys General Association issued a statement congratulating Formella on his confirmation.[21]

Abuse Victim Settlement Controversy

Formella's second term nomination process was not without controversy. In September 2025, the Valley News published an editorial criticizing what it described as Formella's reversal of position regarding a settlement fund for abuse victims in New Hampshire. The editorial raised questions about the attorney general's handling of the matter and his motivations.[22]

Recognition

National Association of Attorneys General Presidency

Formella served as president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), a position that placed him at the forefront of the national organization representing the attorneys general of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.[2][18] His term as NAAG president concluded in December 2025, when Connecticut Attorney General William Tong succeeded him in the role following a unanimous vote.[23]

40 Under Forty

Earlier in his career, Formella was recognized by the New Hampshire Union Leader as one of its "40 Under Forty" honorees, a designation given to notable young professionals in the state of New Hampshire.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Executive Council confirms Sununu legal counsel John Formella as New Hampshire AG".WMUR.https://web.archive.org/web/20210418040748/https://www.wmur.com/article/executive-council-confirms-sununu-legal-counsel-john-formella-as-new-hampshire-ag/35925038.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "John Formella".National Association of Attorneys General.https://www.naag.org/attorney-general/john-formella/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "NH Attorney General John Formella confirmed for another 4-year term".WMUR.September 17, 2025.https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-ag-john-formella-confirmed-for-another-term/66888577.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "John Formella, 32, Portsmouth".New Hampshire Union Leader.https://web.archive.org/web/20210419041034/https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/40_under_forty/john-formella-32-portsmouth/article_2c9349ea-4860-52cb-9cb0-c72371aafb4b.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ "Sununu to nominate his legal counsel John Formella to succeed MacDonald as NH attorney general".WMUR.https://www.wmur.com/article/sununu-to-nominate-his-legal-counsel-john-formella-to-succeed-macdonald-as-nh-attorney-general/35696949.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Sununu to nominate John Formella as attorney general".InDepthNH.org.March 2, 2021.http://indepthnh.org/2021/03/02/sununu-to-nominate-john-formella-as-attorney-general/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ "Governor Chris Sununu Statement on John Formella Confirmation".Office of the Governor of New Hampshire.https://web.archive.org/web/20210418041621/https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-and-media/governor-chris-sununu-statement-john-formella-confirmation.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ "NH to join $21 billion national opioid settlement with distributors".New Hampshire Department of Justice.September 28, 2021.https://www.doj.nh.gov/news/2021/20210928-nh-to-join-21-billion-natl-opioid-settlement-with-distributors.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Nationalist Social Club".New Hampshire Department of Justice.December 13, 2023.https://www.doj.nh.gov/news/2023/20231213-nationalist-social-club.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ "Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131)".Southern Poverty Law Center.https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/nationalist-social-club-nsc-131.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ↑ "Neo-Nazi group accused of violating civil rights law disrupting NH drag show".NBC News.https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/neo-nazi-group-accused-violating-civil-rights-law-disrupting-nh-drag-s-rcna129604.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ↑ "White supremacist New Hampshire civil rights judge dismiss".WBUR.June 7, 2023.https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/06/07/white-supremacist-new-hampshire-civil-rights-judge-dismiss.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ "Enforcement Actions".New Hampshire Department of Justice.January 17, 2023.https://www.doj.nh.gov/news/2023/20230117-enforcement-actions.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ↑ "NH attorney general social media impact on kids".CBS News Boston.https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/nh-attorney-general-social-media-impact-on-kids/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  15. ↑ "Republican and Democratic AG groups".JD Supra.https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/republican-and-democratic-ag-groups-9874917/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  16. ↑ "State attorneys general legal actions".Associated Press.https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-alabama-us-news-courts-a680c1ebdda96708a13aed98b55386dc.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  17. ↑ "Governor Kelly Ayotte and Attorney General John Formella Announce Expansion of Cold Case Unit, Adding Full-Time NH DOJ Investigators".New Hampshire Department of Justice.August 5, 2025.https://www.doj.nh.gov/news-and-media/governor-kelly-ayotte-and-attorney-general-john-formella-announce-expansion-cold.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Ayotte not renominating Formella as attorney general, for now".New Hampshire Bulletin.March 24, 2025.https://newhampshirebulletin.com/briefs/ayotte-not-renominating-formella-as-attorney-general-for-now/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ "Ayotte nominates Formella as NH attorney general; Brian Gould for the state Supreme Court".New Hampshire Bulletin.August 26, 2025.https://newhampshirebulletin.com/briefs/ayotte-nominates-formella-as-nh-attorney-general-brian-gould-for-the-state-supreme-court/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Governor Ayotte Announces Nominations for Attorney General and Supreme Court".Office of the Governor of New Hampshire.August 26, 2025.https://www.governor.nh.gov/news/governor-ayotte-announces-nominations-attorney-general-and-supreme-court.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ "RAGA Congratulates New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella on Unanimous Confirmation to a Second Term".Republican Attorneys General Association.September 17, 2025.https://republicanags.com/2025/09/17/raga-congratulates-new-hampshire-attorney-general-john-formella-on-unanimous-confirmation-to-a-second-term/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ↑ "Editorial: Formella's about-face on N.H. abuse victim settlement".Valley News.September 5, 2025.https://vnews.com/2025/09/05/ayotte-formella-settlement-fund-change/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  23. ↑ "Attorney General Tong Begins Term as President of the National Association of Attorneys General".State of Connecticut.December 9, 2025.https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2025-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-begins-term-as-president-of-the-national-association-of-attorneys-general.Retrieved 2026-02-24.

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