Local lawmaker working on bill aimed at raising salaries for Idaho judges
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POCATELLO – A bill in the works aims to raise salaries for Idaho judges.
Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, is sponsoring the bill and is in the preliminary stages of drafting it. It’s happening in conjunction with the Idaho Supreme Court’s press conference last week, which called upon the Legislature to raise salaries for judges statewide.
RELATED | Idaho Supreme Court seeks higher salaries for Idaho judges
A decreasing number of judge applicants in recent years is the driving force behind the legislation, along with dwindling retention for those positions. Ruchti’s goal is to make salaries more competitive in hopes of recruiting and retaining candidates.
“If we don’t increase salaries, (qualified candidates) are just not going to be tempted to (apply),” Ruchti tells EastIdahoNews.com.
The base salary for a district judge in Idaho is currently $155,508, which ranks the Gem State near the bottom nationwide. Data about judicial compensation in Idaho shows salaries in neighboring states like Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Washington are between 2% and 46% higher. The amount Montana pays its judges is lower than Idaho’s wage, but a 7% salary increase goes into effect in July.
Under Idaho law, candidates are required to have at least 10 years of law experience before applying to be a district judge. In that amount of time, Ruchti says private practice attorneys often make more money than what the state pays its judges.
“When a district judgeship opens up, you have to decide whether you’re willing to take a pay cut,” Ruchti explains. “Not only will you make less, you’re also giving up your private practice, which can take years to build up. So it’s a pretty big move.”
The Idaho Judicial Council is tasked with recommending candidates to the governor to fill a district judge vacancy. As a member of the council, Ruchti has seen a decrease in the number of applicants for this position.
“Even for rural applicants, we used to get seven or eight applicants and now we’re getting two or three,” says Ruchti.
During a press conference last week, Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan pointed out that state law mandates the judicial council recommend at least three candidates to fill district judge vacancies.
“For three of our most recent district court vacancies in Caribou, Minidoka and Kootenai Counties, only three applicants applied for each position,” Bevan said.
Over the last 10 years, state data shows the average number of judicial applicants with adequate private practice experience was around 37%. In fiscal year 2024, that number dropped to 21%.
Additionally, the number of judges retiring has increased from zero percent in FY 2023 to 33% in FY 2025. That means the number of district judge vacancies is also increasing.
Providing applicants with adequate experience who can make sound decisions is vital to the success of our criminal justice system, Ruchti says.
“If we don’t have good judges, our judicial system starts to fall apart and that affects all aspects of our lives,” he says. “It’s a tough job and you don’t want just anybody sitting in that seat.”
He’s still trying to determine what amount district judges in Idaho should be paid.
Last week, Bevan proposed raising the annual salary for district judges in Idaho to $201,000.
“This adjustment would move Idaho closer to the median nationwide for judicial salary rather than leaving us where we are now near the bottom,” said Bevan.
Similarly, data shows the annual base salary for Idaho supreme court justices is $169,508, which also ranks Idaho near the bottom. Most neighboring states pay their supreme court justices 10-40% more.
To make supreme court justice salaries more competitive, he’s proposing the annual wage increase be set at $215,000.
“We’re also asking that the Legislature establish a salary commission to advise the Legislature on judicial compensation going forward. The commission’s recommendation would be subject to review and acceptance by the Idaho Legislature. This is the method presently used to set Legislative salaries,” Bevan said.
During a meeting at the Idaho Capitol in Boise last week, the Idaho Legislature’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee voted to approve raises of $1.55 per hour for all state employees.
Ruchti hopes to draft the judicial salary bill in the next two weeks before introducing it to lawmakers.
“It’s really important that we have good, high quality judges,” Ruchti says. “We’re just not getting enough candidates applying for these judgeships and we need to fix that.”
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