Compensation and Benefits of Trial Court Judges,

• NCJ Number: 77529
• Journal: State Court Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1981) Pages: 11-17
• Author(s): L C Berkson; S B Carbon
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents a comparative overview of compensation packages for general jurisdiction trial court judges throughout the United States.

Abstract

Salaries range from highs of $68,643 in Alaska, $56,915 in California, and $56,098 in New York to lows of $35,500 in Vermont and $35,510 in Connecticut. The avarage salary is $44,440. Often, there is little relation among salary rank, per capita personal income rank, and population rank. For example, Alaska ranks first in salary and per capita personal income but last in population. With regard to retirement benefits, in most States judges are required to contribute a percentage of their salary to the retirement fund; 23 States require a contribution of between 5 and 6 percent. State judicial retirement plans are exceptionally disparate. After 20 years of service, all States provide some benefits, although the range is broad. North Dakota provides 20.8 percent of average final salary, whereas Virginia provides 100 percent of final salary. As with retirement benefits, disability benefits vary widely among the States. In 26 States, disability benefits are identical to retirement benefits. In 15 States, they are based on a percentage of retirement in 22 States and on a percentage of salary in 17 States. Numerous additional benefits may be provided by States to their judges. A total of 23 States report no provisions for the amount of annual vacation that may be taken; generally, the length of vacation is within a judge's discretion. Similarly, 34 States reported having no specific provisions for sick leave. Most States provide between 9 and 13 holidays each year; 21 States pay 100 percent for health insurance coverage; and 9 States pay between 50 percent and 90 percent. Few States offer dental insurance coverage, and only 3 of the responding 40 States have established policies regarding maternity leave. Two tables and 17 notes are included.