(a)  A district court judge shall devote full time to his or her judicial duties. He or she shall not practice law while holding office, nor shall he or she be a partner or associate of any person in the practice of law.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 8-8-7

  • Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  A district court judge shall be eligible to sit in any division, and, on assignment by the chief justice of the supreme court, shall be eligible to sit for temporary periods in the superior and family courts. A district court judge sitting in the superior or family court shall receive the same salary as a superior or family court judge would receive, and if the district court judge sits for only a portion of a two (2) week pay period in those courts, he or she shall be paid for the entire two (2) week period at the higher rate of pay.

(c)  A district court judge, subject to the approval of the chief justice of the supreme court, the presiding justice of the superior court and the chief judge of the district court, may serve on the superior court calendar to preside over district court de novo appeals. A district court judge sitting in the superior court presiding over district court de novo appeals shall receive the same salary as a superior court judge would receive.

History of Section.
P.L. 1969, ch. 239, § 4; P.L. 1971, ch. 169, § 1; P.L. 1972, ch. 276, § 1; P.L. 1972, ch. 290, §§ 1, 2; P.L. 1985, ch. 150, § 16; P.L. 1994, ch. 42, § 4; P.L. 2003, ch. 332, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 403, § 1.