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(a) The Chief Justice presides at all sessions of the Supreme Court.\n(b) Whenever the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virgin Islands is, because of illness, disqualification, conflict, recusal, or by any other temporary absence disabled from actively performing his duties as Chief Justice, or those ex-officio duties imposed upon him by law, or is absent from the court or the office is vacant, then, in either event, the duties so imposed upon him shall be performed by the available associate justice of the Supreme Court in order of seniority, based upon continuous length of service on the Court, and such an associate justice of the Supreme Court shall perform all of the duties in lieu of the Chief Justice during the latter's disability or absence from the court.