§ 8-3-8. Retirement of justices on full pay - Assignment as associate justices. (a) Whenever any person engaged as a judge:

(1) On or before July 2, 1997 shall have served as a justice of the supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district court, or any of them for twenty (20) years and has reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or has served for fifteen (15) years, and reached the age of seventy (70) years, that justice may retire from regular active service and thereafter the justice shall receive annually during his or her life a sum equal to the annual salary the justice was receiving at the time of his or her retirement;

(2) Subsequent to July 2, 1997 and prior to January 1, 2009, shall have served as a justice of the supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district court, or any of them for twenty (20) years and has reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or has served for fifteen (15) years, and reached the age of seventy (70) years, said justice may retire from regular active service and thereafter said justice shall receive annually during his or her life a sum equal to his or her average highest three (3) consecutive years of compensation.

(3) On or after January 1, 2009, shall have served as a justice of the supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district court, or any of them for twenty (20) years and has reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or has served for fifteen (15) years, and reached the age of seventy (70) years, said justice may retire from regular active service and thereafter said justice shall receive annually during his or her life a sum equal to ninety percent (90%) of his or her average highest three consecutive years of compensation.

(4) On or after July 1, 2009, shall have served as a justice of the supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district court, or any of them for twenty (20) years and has reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or has served for fifteen (15) years, and reached the age of seventy (70) years, said justice may retire from regular active service and thereafter said justice shall receive annually during his or her life a sum equal to eighty percent (80%) of his or her average highest five (5) consecutive years of compensation.

(b) Whenever a justice or magistrate shall be granted a leave of absence without pay, such absence shall not be credited towards active service time for the purposes of retirement.

(c) Any justice of any of the courts who shall retire in accordance with the provisions of this section shall at the direction of the chief justice of the supreme court, subject to the retiree's physical and mental competence, be assigned to perform such services as an associate justice of the superior court, or the family court, or the district court as the presiding justice of the superior court, or the chief judge of the family court, or the district court shall prescribe. When so assigned and performing such service, the retiree shall have all the powers and authority of an associate justice of the superior court, the family court, or the district court but otherwise he or she shall have no powers nor be authorized to perform any judicial duties. Such a retired justice shall not be counted in the number of judges provided by law for the superior court, the family court, or the district court.

(d) Any justice of the supreme court who shall retire in accordance with the provisions of this section shall at the direction of the chief justice of the supreme court, subject to the retiree's physical and mental competence, be assigned to perform such services as an associate justice of the supreme court as the chief justice of the supreme court shall prescribe. When so assigned and performing such services, the retiree shall have all the powers and authority of an associate justice of the supreme court, but otherwise he or she shall have no powers nor be authorized to perform any judicial duties relating to the supreme court, except as authorized under § 8-1-1. Such a retired justice shall not be counted in the number of justices provided by law for the supreme court.

History of Section. (P.L. 1956, ch. 3633, §§ 1, 2; G.L. 1956, § 8-3-8; P.L. 1970, ch. 300, § 1; P.L. 1973, ch. 163, § 1; P.L. 1983, ch. 76, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 639, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 93, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 126, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 179, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 100, art. 35, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 68, art. 7, § 5; P.L. 2012, ch. 415, § 10.)