I. Circuit court judges and masters shall be assigned to one or more circuits or locations in the discretion of the administrative judge of the circuit court after considering population, judicial time and efficiency, available judicial resources, and the needs of the public.
II. The assignment of a circuit court judge to a division within the circuit court shall be based upon the judge's knowledge of, commitment to, and expertise in the subject matter of the division.
III. For purposes of part 2, articles 80 and 81 of the New Hampshire constitution, a judge of probate shall be any circuit court judge assigned to the probate division.
IV. Judges and marital masters appointed prior to the effective date of this chapter shall be initially assigned within the circuit court as follows:
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I. Circuit court judges and masters shall be assigned to one or more circuits or locations in the discretion of the administrative judge of the circuit court after considering population, judicial time and efficiency, available judicial resources, and the needs of the public.
II. The assignment of a circuit court judge to a division within the circuit court shall be based upon the judge's knowledge of, commitment to, and expertise in the subject matter of the division.
III. For purposes of part 2, articles 80 and 81 of the New Hampshire constitution, a judge of probate shall be any circuit court judge assigned to the probate division.
IV. Judges and marital masters appointed prior to the effective date of this chapter shall be initially assigned within the circuit court as follows:
(a) Judges of the former probate court shall be initially assigned to the probate division of the circuit court;
(b) Judges of the former district court shall be initially assigned to the district division of the circuit court;
(c) Judges certified in the former judicial branch family division shall be initially assigned to the division that corresponds with their initial appointment and to the family division of the circuit court; and
(d) Masters appointed to the former judicial branch family division or superior court shall be permanently assigned to the family division of the circuit court.
V. The assignment of a circuit court judge to a division following initial assignment shall be within the discretion of the administrative judge; provided, however, the circuit court judge shall be certified by the supreme court to hear cases coming within the newly assigned division prior to such assignment. A judge initially assigned to a division within the circuit court pursuant to paragraph I shall be deemed certified in the division of initial assignment.
VI. Thereafter, judges appointed to the circuit court shall be assigned to a division at the discretion of the administrative judge subject to the following considerations:
(a) The knowledge, commitment to, and expertise of the judge in the subject matter of the particular division to which the judge is to be assigned;
(b) The division in which the judicial vacancy resulting in the new appointment exists, and
(c) The judicial needs of a particular circuit court location as determined by the administrative judge.
VII. Judges may be certified in all divisions of the circuit court pursuant to rules adopted by the supreme court.
VIII. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the administrative judge from assigning judges to a division as justice and efficiency require.
IX. The judges and masters shall be entitled to receive their actual personal expenses when absent from their assigned court in the performance of their official duties. The judges and masters shall not be reimbursed for mileage to commute from the judge's residence to his or her assigned court except for any mileage in excess of 50 miles each way.