Judges: A Penny For Your Thoughts

Missouri’s judicial salaries rank far below the national average, and it might be affecting the quality of those entrusted to interpret the laws that affect us all

FORTY-FIRST. That’s what Missouri ranks nationwide in judicial compensation at the circuit court level, according to a 2010 study by the Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials. But Missouri is in the lowest 20th percentile at all court levels. Our judges are making $20,000 less each year than the average judge in the United States, and $60,000 to $80,000 less than judges in the highest-paying states, including our neighbor Illinois.

Michael Grote, executive director of the Missouri Law Institute, said this might be affecting the quality of judges in Missouri. The judicial selection commission has seen the number of applicants decrease, along with the experience level of those who apply.

“If you look at individuals in private practice or corporate practice, they’re just like every other citizen with kids, a mortgage, car payments and other financial responsibilities,” Grote says. “Do they make the decision to be a judge and provide their knowledge or stay in their current profession and provide for their families?”

A circuit court judge in Missouri makes $120,484 but could make upward of $150,000 working at a private practice or for a corporation. What exacerbates the problem is the fact that judicial salaries are tied to legislative salaries, and Grote says legislators rarely want to be known to their constituents as the one who voted for their own pay increase.

According to Grote, other states often obtain highly experienced judges who, as they age, want to trade in a high-stress job at a private practice for a steady 9-to-5 with stable benefits; a judgeship becomes a more appealing option. In Missouri, however, judges are subjected to a mandatory retirement age of 70.

“We have good judges,” Grote says. “But we’re leaving behind a huge pool of available individuals.

“Whether you’re in a business-to-business transaction or any other type of legal situation, you want to be sure the judge has the legal and practical experience to…render an impartial and fair ruling.”