Rule 18. RULES FOR SERVICE OF SENIOR JUDGES · Last amended 2019 · Last verified July 17, 2026
Before laying out how retired judges get called back into service, the rules pause to define the players. Rule 18.1 sets two terms that recur through the rest of Rule 18: “active judge,” meaning a superior court judge currently in active service, and “senior judge,” meaning a superior court judge who has retired but is still authorized by law to sit as a superior court judge.
The distinction matters because the rules that follow assign different roles to each. Active judges are the ones who request help; senior judges are the ones who provide it. Keeping the vocabulary precise avoids confusion between a senior judge, who has retired and returns only when called, and any other kind of judicial officer who might otherwise be described loosely as retired or part-time.
A superior court judge in active service.
A superior court judge retired from active service who is nonetheless authorized by law to serve as a superior court judge.
Because the rest of Rule 18 assigns different roles to each: active judges request assistance, and senior judges are the ones authorized to provide it.
Only if the retired judge remains authorized by law to serve as a superior court judge; the definition ties the term to that continuing legal authorization.
The rule states they apply for the purposes of this section of the uniform rules, meaning throughout Rule 18’s provisions on senior judge service.
Amended effective January 24, 2019.