Idaho Supreme Court proposes to increase judge pay

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —The Idaho Supreme Court plans to ask lawmakers to increase how much judges are paid across our state.

The court announced today that the request is meant to help address issues in the retention and recruitment of judges.

The justices argue that other states pay their judges more -- leading to these problems.

The court is also proposing the creation of a committee that can advise on judicial salaries, which would work similarly to the commission that decides legislature salaries.

“Idaho consistently ranks nationwide near the bottom in judicial pay. This year, Idaho’s district judges ranked 48th in judicial pay among neighboring states, only one pays its judges less, while most pay their judges 10 to f40% more than Idaho,” Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, G. Richard Bevan stated.

The Supreme Court would like to set the salary for a justice to about $200,000.

A Court of Appeals judge’s salary would be $207,000, A District Judge $201,000, and a Magistrate Judge at $193,000.

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