(a) Each judge of the tribunal shall be a citizen of the United States and, during the period of service, a resident of this state. No person shall be appointed as a tribunal judge unless at the time of appointment the individual is an attorney licensed to practice in this state and has practiced primarily in the area of tax law for at least eight years.

(b) Before entering upon the duties of office, each tribunal judge shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation that he or she shall faithfully discharge the duties of the office, and such oath shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State.

(c) Each tribunal judge shall devote his or her full time during business hours to the duties of the tribunal. A tribunal judge shall not engage in any other gainful employment or business that interferes with or is inconsistent with his or her duties as a judge and shall not hold another office or position of profit in a government of this state, any other state, or the United States.

(d) If a tribunal judge does not have a full docket of tax cases, the chief tribunal judge may, acting in his or her sole discretion, petition the chief administrative law judge of the Office of State Administrative Hearings to allow such tribunal judge to hear and resolve nontax cases pending before the Office of State Administrative Hearings. The chief tribunal judge, the chief administrative law judge of the Office of State Administrative Hearings, and the tribunal judge in question shall mutually agree upon the number and types of such cases, taking into account the particular judge's background and qualifications.