If it shall appear, by affidavit or otherwise, to the satisfaction of a judge of the district court of the judicial district in which the county is situated, that the county has no state's attorney, or that the state's attorney is absent or unable to attend to the state's attorney's duties, or that the state's attorney has refused or neglected to perform any of the duties prescribed in subdivisions b through f of subsection 1 of section 11-16-01, or to institute any civil suit to which the state or the county is a party after the matter has been properly brought to the attention of such state's attorney, and that it is necessary that some act be performed, the judge shall:
1. Request the attorney general or an assistant attorney general to take charge of such prosecution or proceeding; or2. Appoint an attorney to take charge of such prosecution or proceeding and fix the attorney's fee therefor by an order entered upon the minutes of the court, and the attorney so appointed shall be vested with the powers of the state's attorney for the purposes of that action, but for no other purpose, and shall be the only person authorized to proceed in such action. The fee specified in the order shall be allowed by the board of county commissioners and, if so ordered by the court, the amount of such fee shall be deducted from the salary of the state's attorney.Amended by S.L. 2021, ch. 353 (SB 2086),§ 2, eff. 8/1/2021.