Section 65F. (a) A chief justice or any associate justice of the appeals court, who is retired from his office may notify the chief justice of the supreme judicial court in writing that he wishes his name to be placed upon the list of retired justices of the appeals court. The chief justice of the supreme judicial court may place the name of any such chief justice or associate justice on the list of retired justices of the appeals court. With respect to those whose names have been placed on such list upon retirement, any retired chief justice or associate justice or any surviving spouse of such chief justice or associate justice shall be entitled to the same pension and all other benefits which he or his surviving spouse would have been entitled to receive if he had retired without his name having been placed on such list, notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, and a vacancy shall exist in the office theretofore occupied by such retired chief justice or associate justice.

(b) A retired chief justice or associate justice of the appeals court whose name has been placed on a list of retired justices or judges shall be eligible, for a term of two years, to perform judicial duties only as provided in section sixteen of chapter two hundred and eleven A, provided that he likewise shall be eligible to perform judicial duties for succeeding two year terms upon his request, with the reapproval of the chief justice of the supreme judicial court, for each succeeding term.

(c) If such retired justice no longer wishes to be eligible to perform judicial duties pursuant to section sixteen of said chapter two hundred eleven A, he may at any time after having his name placed upon a retired list resign his office.

(d) A retired chief justice or associate justice of the appeals court, while eligible to perform judicial duties shall not engage in the practice of law directly or indirectly, and shall not hold any office which is incompatible with holding the office of judge of the court of which he is on the retired list under the provisions of Article II of Chapter VI of Part the Second of the Constitution of the Commonwealth or of Article VIII of the Amendments thereto.