CONCORD – Gov. John Lynch said yesterday he will nominate Superior Court Justice Gary E. Hicks of Manchester to the New Hampshire Supreme Court at this week's Executive Council meeting.

Hicks, 52, lives in Manchester and was born in West Stewartstown. He has been a superior court judge since 2001, when former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen appointed him.

Lynch said Hicks "has more than proven his qualifications. He has shown an in-depth knowledge of the law and keen intellect, brought a fair and balanced approach and an abiding concern for protecting the right of New Hampshire citizens."

If the Executive Council approves the nomination, Hicks will succeed Supreme Court Associate Justice Joseph P. Nadeau, 67, who announced in October he would retire at the end of this year. Lynch selected him from among a list of candidates the Judicial Selection Commission produced.

Hicks is a past chair of the New Hampshire Judicial Council, which manages programs on indigent legal defense and legal guardianships, has coached youth soccer and basketball, and volunteered in Special Olympics summer games in 1999 and 2000.

Superior Court Chief Justice Robert J. Lynn said Hicks "will be an excellent Supreme Court judge. . . . It's a very good appointment — no question about it."

Attorney Richard McNamara, president-elect of the New Hampshire Bar Association, worked with Hicks for more than 20 years at the Wiggin and Nourie law firm in Manchester.

"He's a very capable guy," McNamara said. "I think someone who's actually practiced law for 20 years like Gary did brings a great deal of practical experience to the bench."

Hicks focused on trial law for most of his career, but also worked in mediation before becoming a judge, he said.

"He was always good at bringing people together," McNamara said.

Hicks is a longtime Democrat. He served as finance chair of the state Democratic Party in 1988 and of the Keefe for Congress Campaign in the early 1990s.

Hicks has ruled in a number of high profile cases, including a decision last week in favor of Republican Nashua Mayor Bernard Streeter, who sued to block a recall election that he argued state law prevented.

Hicks also sat on a special five-member panel that ruled last year that former Supreme Court Chief Justice David Brock, and Associate Justices John Broderick and Sherman Horton should be responsible for $2.2 million in legal fees they incurred defending themselves in impeachment proceedings.

Hicks is a graduate of Bucknell University and received his law degree from Boston University, where he was managing editor of the BU Law Review. He clerked for state Supreme Court Justice Frank Kenison in 1977 before joining Wiggin and Nourie in 1978.