How Much Money Do Supreme Court Justices Make?

A supreme court justice's salary depends on what court level he or she presides.

A justice is an elected member of a supreme court. This position is different from that of a judge. Judges typically preside over lower courts, while justices preside at the highest court on the federal and or state level.

Types of supreme court justices

There are two types of supreme court justices, the U.S. Supreme Court justices and the state supreme court justices. The U.S. Supreme Court justices preside over the highest court in the country, while the state supreme court justices preside over the highest court in their state. With the exception of New York, whose highest court is its court of appeals, a state's highest court is its state supreme court.

United States Chief Justice

The chief justice of the United States is one of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices. The chief justice is the highest judicial officer in the country, and earns $223,500 a year.

Associate Justices

The associate justices are the remaining eight U.S. Supreme Court justices. Each makes $213,900 a year.

State supreme court Justices

Depending on the state, the average salary of a state supreme court justice ranges from $112,530 to $218,237 a year.

References

• Akron: Role of justice vs. judge
• Syracuse University: Diagram of the U.S. Court System
• The Capitol: Pay and Perquisites of Members of Congress, Including A History of House and Senate Salaries
• NCSC: Survey of Judicial Salaries