Federal Court Judges See Salary Leap 14 Percent

All federal court judges will see five-figure raises this year as a lawsuit challenging pay freezes dating back to 1995 comes to a close. Congress blocked automatic cost-of-living increases to the judiciary in the 1990s in response to public criticism. In 2009 six judges filed a lawsuit, and in late 2013 Attorney General Eric Holder informed Congress that DOJ would no longer contest the cases. All 781 current members of the judiciary received 14 percent pay increases starting January 1. That means district court judge pay will go up by $25,000 a year. Chief Justice John Roberts tops the pay scale, with $255,000 annually.