Does this weaken the rights of the accused or convicted?

No. The rights proposed in Marsy’s Law for NH, CACR 22, do not impede defendants’ rights. Those accused of a crime by the state continue to have every constitutional right they have always enjoyed, as they should. They are innocent until proven guilty.

The rights outlined in CACR 22, with the exception of the important right to fully and timely restitution, are largely procedural rights – centered around the rights to be informed of key developments in the case, the right to be present, and except for at trial, the right to have a voice. This constitutional amendment would not make a victim a party to the criminal matter, nor would it grant them intervenor status – in fact, the plain language within the constitutional amendment makes it explicitly clear that this is not the case.