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Shaun Filiault

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Shaun Filiault is an American politician who served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the Cheshire 7 District. He assumed office December 7, 2022. He was also chairman of the Keene, New Hampshire, Democratic Committee prior to changing his party affiliation to Independent in June 2023.

On June 6, 2024, Filiault announced he would not seek re-election as he and his fiance planned to move out-of-state after Filiault’s term.[1] He resigned from the House on July 31, 2024, as that anticipated out-of-state move ultimately occurred prior to the end of the term.[2]

Early life and education

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Filiault was born in 1981 and raised in New Hampshire and educated in the Keene public school system. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University before earning his PhD at the University of South Australia. He later earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law.[3][4]

Career

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After earning his PhD, Filiault was a lecturer in health promotion at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. He specialized in men's health issues and published numerous articles in men's health promotion and men's body image.[5] He subsequently changed careers and graduated from law school, passing the New York and New Hampshire bar exams.[6] He clerked for Judge William G. Young in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.[3]

Electoral History and Legislative Career

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In 2020, Filiault won a seat on the Keene School Board. He later resigned that seat because an attorney at the law firm for which he worked was appointed the school district’s counsel and Filiault wished to avoid the possibility of a conflict of interests.[7]

In 2022, Filiault defeated incumbent Rep. John Bordenet in the Democratic primary to represent the newly redistricted Cheshire 7 District, which covers Ward 2 in Keene. Filiault won that race with 74.9% of the vote to Bordenet’s 25.1% of the vote.[8] Filiault cited Bordenet’s positions on the “gay panic defense,” gun violence prevention, and marijuana legalization as major reasons for challenging the incumbent Bordenet.[9] Filiault then defeated Republican nominee David Kamm in the general election, with 73.9% of the vote to Kamm's 26.1%.[10]

Filiault was a member of House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee.

In June 2023 Filiault left the House Democratic caucus and registered as an Independent over disagreements about his legislative deal-making with Republicans.[11]

In 2023, Filiault was the prime sponsor of HB 315, which sought to abolish the "gay panic defense" in New Hampshire.[12] The bill passed both the House and Senate in June 2023 after first going to a "committee of conference" between the two chambers.[13] The bill was signed by Governor Chris Sununu in August 2023, and went into effect on midnight January 1, 2024.[14] The bill marks the first time a state with a Republican-controlled legislature and executive abolished the gay panic defense.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Green, Rick (June 6, 2024). "Shaun Filiault, I-Keene, won't seek reelection in NH House". Keene Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Resignations, Deaths, Special Elections" (PDF). The General Court of New Hampshire. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  3. ^ a b CLARK, Anika (19 October 2022). "Questionnaire: Shaun Filiault, candidate for NH House, Cheshire County District 7". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  4. ^ "Meet Shaun | Shaun Filiault". 112060.campaignpartner.net. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  5. ^ Filiault, Shaun M.; Drummond, Murray J. N. (2013-04-01). "Gay Athletes' Perceptions of Body Hair". The Journal of Men's Studies. 21 (2): 206–213. doi:10.3149/jms.2102.206. ISSN 1060-8265. S2CID 143068243.
  6. ^ "Law graduate aces marathon New York exam". www.cdu.edu.au. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  7. ^ Staff, Jack Rooney Sentinel (13 May 2020). "Keene school board accepts Shaun Filiault's resignation". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  8. ^ "New Hampshire State House - Cheshire District 7 Democratic Primary Results | USA TODAY". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  9. ^ Staff, Rick Green Sentinel (17 August 2022). "Rep defends record against challenger in runup to Cheshire House 7 primary". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  10. ^ "New Hampshire State House - Cheshire District 7 Election Results | Montgomery Advertiser". www.montgomeryadvertiser.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  11. ^ "N.H. lawmaker leaves Democratic caucus over first in the nation primary and LGBTQ rights". www.bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  12. ^ "New Hampshire HB315 | 2023 | Regular Session". LegiScan. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  13. ^ Staff, Rick Green Sentinel (2023-06-22). "Committee of Conference moves 'gay-panic defense' bill forward". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  14. ^ Staff, Rick Green Sentinel (2023-08-09). "After long journey, governor signs Filiault's bill banning gay-panic defense". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  15. ^ mnemec (2023-08-18). "History Made in New Hampshire - LGBTQ+ "Panic" Defense Banned". The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
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