§14-2-4a Interim judges.
§14-2-4a. Interim judges.
(a) If at any time two or more of the judges appointed under section four of this article are temporarily unable, due to illness or other incapacity, to perform their responsibilities the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Delegates may appoint one or two interim judges to serve under the conditions specified in this section.
(b) Appointments made under this section are temporary. An interim judge serves under this section until the judge for whom the interim judge is temporarily replacing can resume his or her duties. In no event may the interim judge serve for more than three months unless reappointed.
(c) Appointments made under this section shall be made from a list furnished to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Delegates by the board of governors of the West Virginia state bar. The board of governors of the West Virginia state bar shall annually, on or before the fifteenth day of January, submit a list of twenty qualified nominees. In two thousand four, the list shall be submitted before the first day of April.
(d) An interim judge:
(1) Is entitled to the same compensation and expense reimbursement a judge is entitled to under the provisions of section eight of this article;
(2) Shall take the oath of office as required in section nine of this article;
(3) Has all the authority given to a judge under this article; and
(4) Is required to possess the qualifications required of a judge in section ten of this article.
(e) The president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Delegates may jointly terminate the appointment of any interim judge appointed under this section at any time.