§ 51-2A-19 — Temporary assignment of family court judges

(a) Upon the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of family court judge, the disqualification of a family court judge or the inability of a family court judge to attend to his or her duties because of illness, temporary absence or any other reason, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals may assign the family court judge of any other family court circuit, or any senior status circuit judge or circuit judge of any judicial circuit, to hear and determine any and all matters then or thereafter pending in the family court to which the family court judge is assigned. While so assigned, the family court judge, senior status circuit judge or circuit judge has all of the powers of the regularly elected family court judge of the family court circuit.

(b) When, in the discretion of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals, the urgency or volume of cases in a family court circuit so requires, the chief justice may assign a senior status circuit judge, a circuit judge of any judicial circuit or a family court judge of any family court division to serve temporarily in a family court circuit. When a senior status circuit judge or other circuit judge is so assigned, he or she has all of the powers of a regularly elected family court judge.

(c) The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals may appoint a person who has previously served as a family law master or family court judge to serve as a temporary family court judge as disqualification, recusal, vacation, illness or the ends of justice may dictate.

(d) The Supreme Court of Appeals shall promulgate a supervisory rule setting forth educational requirements for persons assigned to serve temporarily as family court judges pursuant to the provision of this section.