I. Any full-time justice of the supreme, superior, district, or probate court who retires or has retired from regular active service prior to age 70 pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. Chapter 100-C or any predecessor judicial retirement plan or system, may elect to take either senior active status or retired status for the period prior to the time when the justice reaches age 70. A justice who desires to be designated on senior active status shall make such election by providing written notice to the chief justice or administrative justice of the court from which he or she retired. The first such election shall be made not later than 30 days prior to the date the justice’s retirement becomes effective and shall be valid for one year from the date of the justice’s retirement. Thereafter, a justice who desires to remain in senior active status shall provide a similar notice on an annual basis to the chief or administrative justice of the court from which the justice retired not later than 30 days prior to the anniversary date of the justice’s retirement. Judges retired on the effective date of this section shall make the first such election not later than 30 days after the effective date of this section. Each election shall be valid for a period of one year, except that an election made for the year in which the justice reaches age 70 shall terminate on the day before the justice turns 70. A justice who desires to be designated on retired status may do so at any time following his or her retirement from regular active service by providing written notice of this election to the chief or administrative justice of the court from which the justice retired; provided, however, that once a justice elects to be designated on retired status such election shall be final and the justice shall not thereafter be allowed to return to senior active status.
II. A senior active justice shall have all the powers of a justice in regular active service and may serve on the court from which he or she retired or on any other court in which he or she is authorized by law to serve.
III. A justice who elects to be designated on senior active status shall not, during the period while such designation is in effect, engage in the practice of law, but such justice may serve as a teacher or professor of law at an educational institution.
IV. In the case of a retired full-time justice, in good standing, of the New Hampshire supreme, superior, district, or probate court who forgoes a retirement service allowance pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 100-C:5, VII and who elects to take senior active status under paragraph I, the justice may serve as provided in paragraph II with compensation under N.H. Rev. Stat. § 493-A:1-b limited to per diem payment and expenses. No person who retires under the provisions of this paragraph shall be considered a “retired employee,” as defined in N.H. Rev. Stat. § 21-I:30, for purposes of eligibility for state-paid medical and surgical benefits.