Advisory panel set to weigh what judges earn

Salaries in New Mexico among lowest in nation; last year’s recommendation for increase was not followed

The state Judicial Compensation Commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider the salaries of New Mexico’s judges, who in some cases are the most poorly paid in the country.

The six-member commission is tasked with annually recommending a judicial pay plan to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Department of Finance and Administration.

A National Center for State Courts study says New Mexico’s District Court judges, who earn about $118,000 a year, are the lowest paid in the nation. The $131,174 annual salary of the state’s Supreme Court justices is the second lowest, and about 23 percent lower than the national average, according to the commission. Only justices in Maine earn less.

New Mexico Court of Appeals judges are slightly better situated with a $124,616 salary that ranks 40th in the county.

In 2016, the commission recommended judges receive a 2 percent cost-of-living increase and a salary bump of 5 percent in 2017. But, unlike the case in some other states, the New Mexico commission’s role is purely advisory, and its recommendation did not result in an increase.

The commission reported to the Legislature that the state’s lower salaries discourage more seasoned attorneys and those with more private sector experience from seeking judgeships. The commission cited a 2012 study by the New Mexico Bar Association that said the state’s Supreme Court justices earn about 33 percent less than partners in private law firms who share a similar education and experience.

The bar association study also said 17 percent of judicial applicants between 2010 and 2015 were 39 years or younger — although the minimum age for a district judge is 35 years — and that 85 percent had experience in public service.

“Lawyers with experience in the private sector as well as law firms report that judicial salaries prevent them from applying to be judges,” according to the commission’s report. “The data show these lawyers are not seeking judicial office.”

The report also compared judicial salaries to those of other high-ranking government officials, noting that in 2015, the chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court was paid $133,174 while the Santa Fe County manager was getting $177,928 and the Santa Fe city manager’s salary was $142,812 annually.

The Supreme Court chief justice earns $2,000 more than other New Mexico Supreme Court justices. Court of Appeals judges are paid 95 percent of what Supreme Court justices make, and District Court judges earn 95 percent of what appellate court judges make.

Judicial salaries are not adjusted for geographic location. “A judge of the same rank earns the same amount in any community,” according to the commission, “regardless of size, docket, cost of living or judicial experience.”

Despite lagging behind their counterparts elsewhere, judges are still relatively well off when compared to most other New Mexicans. A recent economic snapshot published by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee says the median household income in the state is $45,100 per year, while the median household income nationwide is $56,500 per year.

The commission’s meeting, which is open to the public, is set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Room 208 of the Supreme Court Building, 237 Don Gaspar Ave.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 505-986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com. Follow her on Twitter @phaedraann.