Article 2. Retirement For Service of California Government Code >> Title 8. >> Chapter 11. >> Article 2.

Every judge who has the age and service qualifications specified in one of the following subdivisions, and who is not ineligible for retirement under Section 75026, shall be retired for service upon filing notice of retirement with the Judges' Retirement System, specifying the date upon which his or her retirement is to become effective:
  (a) Age 70 or older, with an aggregate of 10 years of service as a judge within the 15 years immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (b) Age 69, with an aggregate of 12 years of service as a judge within the 16 years immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (c) Age 68, with an aggregate of 14 years of service as a judge within the 18 years immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (d) Age 67, with an aggregate of 16 years of service as a judge within the 20 years immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (e) Age 66, with an aggregate of 18 years of service as a judge within the 22 years immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (f) Age 65, with an aggregate of 20 years of service as a judge within the 24 years immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (g) Age 70 or older, with an aggregate of 20 years of service as a judge, the last five years of which has been served immediately preceding the effective date of retirement.
  (h) Age 60, with an aggregate of 20 years of service as a judge. Upon the effective date of the retirement of any judge, the judicial office from which he or she has retired shall become vacant, and a successor shall thereupon be appointed to fill the vacancy.

A judge whose service is discontinued by the expiration of his term of office and who is otherwise eligible to retire under this chapter may file the notice of retirement provided for in Section 75025 or an election to retire under Section 75033.5 within 90 days after such termination, which notice or election shall be effective as though filed at the close of his term. A judge whose service is discontinued by other than the expiration of his term of office and who is otherwise eligible to retire under this chapter must file the notice of retirement provided for in Section 75025 or an election to retire under Section 75033.5 prior to the effective date of his retirement, and the effective date of his retirement cannot be earlier than the date when the notice of retirement is filed with the Judges' Retirement System.

Except as provided in Section 75029, no judge shall be eligible to retire under Section 75025 if he or she has not received a salary from which contributions for the Judges' Retirement Fund have been deducted for a period or periods aggregating at least 10 years unless, prior to the effective date of his or her retirement, he or she has paid into the Judges' Retirement Fund a sum equal to the contributions which would have been deducted from his or her salary during the period of 10 years immediately preceding the effective date of his or her retirement if he or she had received a salary subject to deduction of contributions for the Judges' Retirement Fund during all of that period, excluding any time within the 10-year period during which contributions for the Judges' Retirement Fund were actually deducted from his or her salary, any time in that period in respect to which he or she has made payment under Section 75029, and any time in that period which is included in the computation of his or her service under Section 75031. The sum payable shall be computed by applying the rate or rates of deduction applicable to judges' salaries during that time to the salary which the judge last received as the incumbent of a judicial office to which he or she was elected by the people.

Any judge whose term of office expires within 60 days before he or she has rendered the minimum service required for retirement at his or her age shall be deemed to have rendered that minimum service. Any judge whose term of office expires within 60 days before he or she attains the age required for his or her retirement, shall be deemed to have attained that age at any time during the 60-day period immediately preceding his or her actual attainment of that age.

(a) Except as provided in Sections 75060.6, 75080, and 68543.5, any designation as a judge pro tempore or any assignment by the Chairperson of the Judicial Council shall be disregarded for purposes of this chapter. For the purposes of this chapter no person shall acquire status as a judge, nor shall any person's status as a judge be affected, by any such designation or assignment.
  (b) A judge who elects to be available for full-time service on senior judge status after the effective date of retirement, shall be compensated by the state for that time at a rate equal to the full compensation of a judge of the court from which he or she retired or, at the judge's election, at a rate equal to the full compensation of a judge of the court to which he or she is assigned. A judge serving on senior judge status also shall be eligible for travel, board, and lodging expenses, as provided in Section 68543.5.

(a) At the time of the filing of a notice of retirement under the Judges' Retirement Law to be effective after 69 1/2 years of age but before the end of the term of office during which the judge attains 70 years of age, a judge may apply to the chairperson of the Judicial Council for senior judge status.
  (b) A retired judge who retired under the Judges' Retirement Law before July 1, 1985, and who has attained 60 years of age, may apply to the Chairperson of the Judicial Council for senior judge status.
  (c) A judge who has left office at 60 years of age or older on or after July 1, 1985, and who has 20 years or more of retirement service credit under the Judges' Retirement Law, may apply to the Chairperson of the Judicial Council for senior judge status.
  (d) A judge serving on senior judge status shall serve full time as assigned for up to five consecutive years and by accepting that status waives the right to refuse any assignment as otherwise provided by law. A judge who elects to retire under this section is deemed retired, and the judicial office from which the judge retired shall become vacant and a successor shall then be appointed to fill the vacancy.

A retired judge on senior judge status shall not receive a retirement allowance, except for health and welfare benefits generally available to judges of courts on which the judge served as an active judge. The Controller shall administer payment of salary to retired judges on senior judge status and for making any appropriate deductions.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, senior judge status shall terminate at the end of five years, except that the status shall terminate earlier when any of the following occurs:
  (a) The judge on senior judge status requests termination.
  (b) The judge fails to perform service as assigned.
  (c) The Commission on Judicial Performance so orders.

(a) A judge whose senior judge status is terminated may elect to receive the retirement benefits for which the judge was eligible at the time he or she elected senior judge status.
  (b) If the senior judge status is terminated before the end of five years because of the judge's death, any surviving spouse benefit that is payable, as provided in the section under which the judge retired prior to electing the senior judge status, shall be paid.

After a judge has withdrawn his or her accumulated contributions upon discontinuance of his or her service, that service shall not count in the event he or she later becomes a judge again, until he or she pays into the Judges' Retirement Fund the amount of accumulated contributions withdrawn by him or her, plus interest thereon at the rate of interest then being required to be paid by members of the Public Employees' Retirement System under Section 20750 from the date of withdrawal to the date of his or her payment.

The senior judge status program shall terminate on January 1, 1997. No person may elect senior judge status or exercise any of the rights thereof on or after that date, except that all persons holding senior judge status on that date may exercise the termination rights specified in Section 75028.4.

For any judge who, prior to becoming a judge, served as a "judge of an excluded court" as defined below, there shall be included in the computation of the number of years of service as a judge the number of years he or she served as a "judge of an excluded court" if prior to the effective date of his or her retirement he or she has paid into the Judges' Retirement Fund a sum equal to the amount that would have been deducted from his or her salary and paid into that fund had he or she been a judge, during the time he or she was a "judge of an excluded court," computed by applying to the rate of salary that he or she actually received during his or her first year of service as a judge the rate of deduction applicable to judges' salaries during that year. As used in this section "judge of an excluded court" means a judge of a justice court or a judge, justice of the peace, or recorder of a court provided for by law prior to January 1, 1952. A judge shall not, under this section, receive credit for that portion, if any, of his or her service as a judge of an excluded court, if other provisions of this chapter provide for the inclusion of that service in the computation of his or her years of service as a judge.

On and after January 1, 1990, the right to elect to receive credit for prior service as a judge of an excluded court pursuant to Section 75029 shall apply only to a justice of the Supreme Court or a court of appeal or a judge of a superior or municipal court.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any justice court judge who was a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System on December 31, 1989, and became a member of this system on January 1, 1990, pursuant to Chapter 1417 of the Statutes of 1989, may irrevocably elect to be restored to membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System effective January 1, 1990. The board shall provide the affected members with an election period commencing on July 1, 1992, and ending on September 30, 1992. Any justice court judge who elects membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System pursuant to this section shall be refunded his or her accumulated contributions in this system for the period January 1, 1990, through the date of election and deposit in the Public Employees' Retirement Fund the amount required by that system.

Any judge who first becomes a judge on or after May 1, 1962, and who has served as an elected state constitutional officer before becoming a judge, or any judge who first became a judge prior to that date who has served as a constitutional officer or as a public legal officer before becoming a judge, has a right to elect, by written election filed with the Judges' Retirement System at any time prior to retirement, to make contributions pursuant to this section for, and receive credit in this system as, service for all or any part of the time he or she served as that officer, excluding any period of time for which the judge is receiving, or is entitled to receive, a retirement allowance from any other public retirement system. As used in this chapter, the term "elected state constitutional officer" means the holder of the office of Member of the Senate or Assembly, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, or member of the State Board of Equalization. As used in this chapter, the term "constitutional officer" means the holder of an office created by the California Constitution, and "public legal officer" means the holder of any legal office of the state or any agency of the state or of any county or city in the state who is paid a salary or other fixed regular compensation and who is admitted and licensed to practice law in the State of California during the time of holding the office and whose principal duties in the office are legal in nature, such as the Attorney General, Legislative Counsel, Commissioner of Corporations, a district attorney, county counsel, city attorney, city prosecutor, public defender, or a deputy of any such office, or a secretary to the Governor whose duties include the hearing of extradition matters, admitted and licensed to practice law in the State of California during the time of holding the office and whose principal duties in the office are legal in nature. Every judge electing to receive credit for service pursuant to this section shall at the time of filing his or her election, and as a condition to receiving that credit, pay into the Judges' Retirement Fund a sum equal to the amount which would have been deducted from his or her salary and paid into that fund pursuant to Section 75102 had he or she been a judge during the time for which he or she elects to receive credit for service, computed by applying the rates of deduction applicable to judges' salaries during that time to the rate of salary the judge actually received during the first year as a judge, plus interest at 3 percent a year, to the date of his or her payment, upon the amounts of the deductions and from the respective dates they would have been paid had he or she been a judge during the time for which he or she elects to receive credit for service. The amount and interest shall be determined by the Judges' Retirement System in accordance with this section. Funds transferred to the Judges' Retirement Fund pursuant to Section 9356.5 shall be deducted from the payment. Any funds so transferred which are in excess of the amount required by this section shall be refunded to the judge. This section shall not apply to any person who, on or after January 1, 1986, first becomes or continues as an elected state constitutional officer, in a term which commences on or after January 1, 1986.

On and after October 1, 1961, the right to elect to receive credit for service pursuant to Section 75030.5 shall apply only to a judge who has served as a judge as defined by Section 75002 for at least six years or who is elected to the office of judge as defined by Section 75002. This section shall not apply to any judge who is a member of this system on September 30, 1961, or to any person who, on or after January 1, 1986, first becomes or continues as an elected state constitutional officer, as defined by Section 75030.5, in a term which commences on or after January 1, 1986.

Any judge has a right to elect, by written election filed with the Judges' Retirement System at any time prior to retirement, to make contributions pursuant to this section for, and receive service credit in this system for all of the time he or she served as a federal judicial officer, excluding any period of time for which the judge is receiving, or is entitled to receive, a retirement allowance from any other public retirement system. As used in this section, the term "federal judicial officer" means federal justice, federal judge, and federal magistrate judge. Every judge electing to receive credit for service pursuant to this section shall at the time of filing his or her election, pay into the Judges' Retirement Fund a sum equal to actuarial present value of the increase in benefit due to the additional service. The amount shall be determined by the Judges' Retirement System in accordance with this section.

(a) A judge may elect, by written election filed with the board at any time prior to retirement, to make contributions and receive service credit for all of the time he or she served as a full-time subordinate judicial officer, as defined in Section 71601, prior to becoming a judge, excluding any period of time for which the judge is receiving, or is entitled to receive, a retirement allowance from any other public retirement system.
  (b) A judge electing to receive credit for service pursuant to subdivision (a) shall, at the time of filing his or her election, pay to the Judges' Retirement Fund, a sum equal to the actuarial present value of the increase in benefits due to the additional service. The amount shall be determined by the Judges' Retirement System in accordance with this section.

A Member of the Senate or Assembly whose contributions as a judge remain on deposit in the fund under Section 75033, shall, during the term of office for which he or she was elected:
  (a) Have a right under Section 75030.5 to elect by written election filed with the Judges' Retirement System at any time prior to his or her retirement, to make contributions pursuant to Section 75030.5 and to receive credit in this system as service rendered for all or any part of his or her service as an elected state constitutional officer, or as a public legal officer, as defined in Section 75030.5, either before or after his or her service as a judge, excluding any period of time for which he or she is receiving or is entitled to receive a retirement allowance from any other public retirement system. This subdivision does not apply to any person who, on or after January 1, 1986, first becomes or continues as an elected state constitutional officer, as defined by Section 75030.5, in a term which commences on or after January 1, 1986.
  (b) Be retired as a judge under Section 75025 upon attaining, as provided in this section, the age and service requirements specified in that section. For the purposes of this section, "service as an elected state constitutional officer" includes all or any portion of the term of office for which he or she was duly elected as an elected state constitutional officer as specified by law at the time of his or her election.

Any person who filed a declaration of candidacy for a judicial office pursuant to Section 8023 or 8201 of the Elections Code prior to May 1, 1962, and was elected to that office at the subsequent election, may elect pursuant to the provisions of Section 75030.5 to make contribution for, and receive credit in this system as service, time served as a public legal officer as defined in Section 75030.5. The contributions authorized by this section shall be made at the rate provided in Section 75102 on the effective date of this section.

In computing the number of years a person has been a judge for the purposes of retirement under Sections 75025 or 75060, there shall be included any time as he or she was absent from his or her position as judge by reason of service with the armed forces of the United States during a war involving the United States as a belligerent or in any other national emergency, and for six months thereafter. This section shall be retroactively applied to extend its benefits to all judges who served in the military service in time of war, including the period September 16, 1940, to December 7, 1941, and who return or have returned to their positions upon the termination of their military service or within six months thereafter. The provisions of this section apply to any person who resigned judicial office to enter military service in time of national emergency declared by the President prior to the authorization by law of military leave, if he or she returned to judicial office within 90 days after his or her separation from military service.

(a) A judge may elect, in writing filed with the Judges' Retirement System, to make contributions and receive service credit in this system for active service, performed prior to entering the system, of not less than one year in the Armed Forces of the United States or not less than one year in the Merchant Marine of the United States prior to January 1, 1950, excluding any period of that active service for which the judge is receiving, or is entitled to receive, a retirement allowance from any other retirement system supported wholly or in part by public funds. The service credit for that service may be granted on the basis of one year of credit for each year of credited service in this system, but may not exceed a total of four years of service credit regardless of the number of years of either that service or subsequent judicial service. A judge electing to receive credit for that service shall have at least one year of judicial service credited on the date of election or the date of retirement. If the service described in this subdivision terminated with a dishonorable discharge, service credit in the system may not be granted under this section.
  (b) For purposes of this section, a judge means a judge as defined in Section 75002 or a judge who has retired pursuant to Section 75025 or has elected a deferred retirement subject to Section 75033.5.
  (c) The retirement allowance of a retired judge who elects to receive service credit pursuant to this section shall be increased only with respect to the allowance payable on and after the date of election.
  (d) A judge who elects to receive credit for service pursuant to this section shall contribute to the Judges' Retirement Fund a sum equal to the actuarial present value of the increase in benefits due to the additional service, as determined by the chief actuary and approved by the board.
  (e) An election by a judge to receive credit for service under this section shall be effective only if accompanied by a lump-sum payment or an authorization for payment, other than a lump-sum payment, in accordance with regulations adopted by the board.

Every judge who has retired or who retires pursuant to Section 75025 before or after September 11, 1957, shall, during the remainder of his or her life, receive an allowance equal to one-half the salary payable, at the time payment of the allowance falls due, to the judge holding the judicial office to which he or she was last appointed or elected by the people. The allowance shall be paid by the state at the times and in the manner provided for the payment of salaries of justices of the Supreme Court. This amendment to this section enacted by the Legislature at its 1957 Regular Session does not give any retired judge a claim against the state for any increase in retirement allowance or other benefit for time prior to September 11, 1957.

Retired judges, and beneficiaries, who are entitled to receive allowances under the provisions of this chapter, may authorize deductions to be made from their retirement allowance payments, in accordance with regulations established by the Controller for payment of group life insurance premiums for a group life insurance plan approved by the Director of Finance.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, if the service of a judge, who has been elected or appointed as such, is discontinued by any means other than death, resignation, recall, impeachment, or retirement pursuant to this chapter, he or she shall have the right to elect in writing filed with the Judges' Retirement System within 90 days thereafter, and without right of revocation, whether to allow his or her accumulated contributions to remain in the fund. A judge who after the effective date of the 1972 amendments to this section leaves his or her office to accept any lucrative office under the United States within the purview of Section 7 of Article VII of the California Constitution shall not be eligible for deferred retirement under this section. Failure to make the election shall be deemed an irrevocable election to withdraw his or her accumulated contributions. A judge who so elects to allow his or her accumulated contributions to remain in the fund shall, upon his or her application therefor to the Judges' Retirement System be retired, and after attaining age 65 receive a retirement allowance based upon the judicial service with which he or she is credited, in the same manner as other judges, except that his or her retirement allowance is an annual amount equal to 5 percent of the compensation payable, at the time payments of the allowance fall due, to the judge holding the office that the retired judge last held prior to the discontinuance of his or her service as judge, multiplied by the number of years and fractions of years of service with which the retired judge is entitled to be credited at the time of such discontinuance of his or her service, not to exceed eight years. This section does not apply to any person who becomes a judge after January 1, 1974. The amendments to this section during 1977 are also applicable to persons who elected to allow their accumulated contributions to remain in the fund prior to January 1, 1978.

Any judge who is removed from office by the Supreme Court shall not receive any of the benefits provided by Section 75033. The amount of his accumulated contributions shall be paid to him by the Judges' Retirement System. This section shall be applicable only to a person who becomes a judge after the effective date of this section.

A judge who pleads guilty or no contest or is found guilty of a crime committed while holding judicial office which is punishable as a felony under California or federal law and which either involves moral turpitude under that law or was committed in the course and scope of performing the judge's duties, and the conviction becomes final shall not receive any benefits from the Judges' Retirement System, except that the amount of his or her accumulated contributions shall be paid to him or her by the Judges' Retirement System.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any judge with at least five years of service, may retire, and upon his or her application therefor to the Judges' Retirement System after reaching the age which would have permitted him or her to retire for age and length of service under Section 75025 had he or she remained continuously in service as a judge up to that age, receive a retirement allowance based upon the judicial service as a judge of a court of record, with which he or she is credited, in the same manner as other judges, except as otherwise provided by this section the retirement allowance is an annual amount equal to 3.75 percent of the compensation payable, at the time payments of the allowance fall due, to the judge holding the office which the retired judge last held prior to his or her discontinuance of his or her service as judge, multiplied by the number of years and fractions of years of service with which the retired judge is entitled to be credited at the time of his or her retirement, not to exceed 20 years. A judge of a justice court who renders part-time service after January 1, 1990, shall receive a reduced retirement allowance based upon actual service rendered. If a judge has served more than five years but less than 12 years, the above percentage of compensation payable shall be reduced 0.25 percent for each year that the service of the judge is less than 12 years. For the purposes of calculating the percentage of compensation payable, part-time service shall be the equivalent of full-time service. No judge shall be eligible to receive an allowance pursuant to this section until the attainment of at least age 63 unless the judge is credited with 20 years of judicial service and has attained age 60. The surviving spouse of any judge who has so elected to retire under this section shall receive for life an allowance equal to one-half of the retirement allowance that would be payable to the judge were he or she living and receiving the benefits accorded by this section, commencing with the day following the date of the death, if the judge dies after commencement of receipt of benefits, or the date the judge would have been able to commence receipt of benefits but for his or her death, if his or her death occurs prior to commencement of receipt of benefits. An election to retire under this section shall be made in writing and filed with the Judges' Retirement System, and shall be without right of revocation, and upon that filing the judge shall be deemed retired with receipt of benefits deferred until herein provided, and the judicial office from which he or she has retired shall become vacant. The notice and election of retirement shall be sufficient if it states in substance that the judge elects to retire under the benefits of this section. A judge who leaves his or her office prior to July 21, 1997, to accept any lucrative office under the United States within the purview of Section 7 of Article VII of the Constitution shall have any benefits receivable hereunder reduced by the amount of any salary or retirement benefits he or she receives by virtue of his or her service in that office. This paragraph shall not apply to any judge who left office on or after July 21, 1997.

If a judge retires pursuant to Section 75033 or 75033.5 and there has been a community property benefit awarded to the judge' s ex-spouse pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 75050), the retirement allowance percentage payable to the judge shall be calculated at the rate specified in Section 75033 or 75033.5 less the percentage factor awarded to the ex-spouse. In no instance, regardless of the total number of years of credited service in the Judges' Retirement System, shall the retirement allowance percentage awarded the judge, when combined with the percentage awarded the ex-spouse, exceed the maximum amount allowable under the pertinent section under which the judge retired.

"Resignation," as used in this article, does not include a resignation, express or implied, which is for the purpose of accepting an elective or appointive public office.