MARYLAND JUDICIARY | SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON JUDICIAL COMPENSATION
Report of the Special Committee
Introduction
This report has been prepared by the Maryland Judiciary in advance of the statutory Judicial Compensation Commission (Commission) review of judicial salaries prior to the 2022 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly. As has been past practice, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals appointed a Special Committee on Judicial Compensation (Committee) consisting of incumbent judges and support staff from the Judiciary. This Committee has met several times over the last six months to consider the issues associated with judicial compensation in order to prepare this report, which consists of comparative data and an analysis of judicial salaries in states similar to Maryland in their geography, economy and judicial structure for presentation to the Commission.
Findings
As a result of this study, the Committee noted several areas of concern:
➢ Judicial Salaries Versus Inflation: Over the past 20 years (2001 – 2021) Maryland judicial salaries have not kept pace with inflation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), the cost of living for all urban consumers in the Northeast United States increased by 72.52% over the most recent 20 years. Judicial salaries increased by 45% to 48% during that same time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the cost-of- living for all urban consumers in the Baltimore/Washington Region also increased by 68.78% over the most recent 20 years. ➢ Regional Ranking: Of the nine regional states with which Maryland is most comparable geographically and economically, the salaries of Maryland judges currently rank in the bottom third: Circuit Court – ninth (last); Court of Special Appeals – sixth; Court of Appeals – eighth; Chief Judge, Court of Appeals – seventh. Moreover, Maryland’s judicial salaries have remained stagnant in the rankings over the past four years: Circuit Court – remained at ninth; Court of Special Appeals – remained at sixth; Court of Appeals – remained at eighth; Chief Judge, Court of Appeals – remained at seventh. Of the seven states (including Maryland) having limited jurisdiction courts comparable to the District Court, Rhode Island is the only state in our region. Maryland ranks behind Rhode Island. ➢ National Ranking: Of the fifty states and the District of Columbia 1 in a national ranking, the salaries of Maryland judges also generally dropped in their competitive positions especially when a cost of living factor is applied. Without the cost of living factor, the ranking is: Circuit Court – 21st; Court of Special Appeals – 18th; Court of Appeals – 17th; Chief Judge, Court of Appeals – 13th. With the cost of living factor, the ranking is: Circuit Court – 43rd; Court of Special Appeals – 37th; Court of Appeals – 37th; Chief Judge, Court of Appeals – 29th.
1 The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Survey of Judicial Salaries includes U.S. Territories that are not included in this summary.
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