public back in. Richardson cited a provision of the New Hampshire Constitution, which states, "The doors of the galleries . . . shall be kept open to all persons who behave decently." O'Brien refused. The House then voted 217–146 to keep the proceedings closed, with 48 Republicans joining the Democrats in opposing the closing. According to attorney Paul Twomey, O'Brien decided to re-open the proceedings shortly after he called to notify O'Brien's office that he would be filing a lawsuit on behalf of the former lawmakers. O'Brien's staff said that the call had nothing to do with the decision, however. O'Brien claimed that the proceedings were not conducted secretly, since they were streamed on live video and the press was present. "The House of Representatives has the right to conduct itself with decorum without being interrupted by members of the public," O'Brien said. Richardson responded, "The Constitution doesn't talk about streaming video. [It says] the doors of the gallery should be kept open." In Merrimack County Superior Court, Judge Richard McNamara heard arguments about closing the gallery and was told that it was open again. He did not issue an order warning O'Brien not to close the gallery again and the case was dismissed against the Democratic plaintiffs, who chose not to contest or appeal the dismissal. College student voting requirement Remarks by O'Brien to a Tea Party-related group – explaining that a reason for a proposed law imposing more rigorous voter ID and residency requirements to be able to vote in New Hampshire elections, is that college students dominate certain local elections and "take away a town's ability to govern itself" and are "foolish, voting as a liberal" because they lack "life experience" – were widely reported in March 2011. O'Brien said the bill was "necessary to stop students from basically doing what I did when I was a kid: voting as a liberal." Affordable Care Act and slavery comparison remarks In August 2013, O'Brien spoke at a rally in New Hampshire of the Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group, where he likened the Affordable Care Act to an 1850 pro-slavery federal law. In his remarks O'Brien called the healthcare act, popularly known as Obamacare, "a law as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 that allowed slave owners to come to New Hampshire and seize African Americans and use the