§ 8-8.2-6. Retirement of judges on reduced pay. (a) Whenever any person engaged as a judge on or before July 2, 1997, has served as a judge of the administrative adjudication court or as a judge of the administrative adjudication court who is reassigned by this chapter to the traffic tribunal for twenty (20) years, or has so served for ten (10) years and has reached the age of sixty five (65) years, the judge may retire from active service and, thereafter, the judge shall receive annually during life a sum equal to three fourths (3/4) of the annual salary that the judge was receiving at the time of retirement; provided, however, any person who has served for twenty (20) years and has reached the age of sixty five (65) years, or has so served for fifteen (15) years and reached the age of seventy (70) years, may retired from active service and, thereafter, the judge shall receive annually during his or her life a sum equal to the annual salary he or she was receiving at the time of his or her retirement. In determining eligibility under this section, any judge who has served within the judiciary or as a hearing officer or administrative law judge, may include such service as if the service had been on the administrative adjudication court and shall be included under the provisions of § 36-9-5. Whenever a judge 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.

(b) Any judge who shall retire in accordance with the provisions of this section may at his or her request, and 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 a judge or magistrate in the traffic tribunal as the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal or the chief justice shall prescribe. When so assigned and performing that service, he or she shall have all the powers and authority of a judge or magistrate. A retired judge shall not be counted in the number of magistrates provided by law for the traffic tribunal nor shall he or she receive any further emolument other than his or her retirement pay for the performance of the aforesaid services.

History of Section. (P.L. 1999, ch. 218, art. 4, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 73, art. 3, § 8; P.L. 2007, ch. 126, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 179, § 2.)