Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Legislature approves 25% judicial pay raise; SB 293 adds conduct-reporting and JCC changes
Summary
At a Texas Judicial Council meeting, leaders described passage of SB 293 and related SJR 27 as a historic compromise that raises the district‑judge base salary 25%, changes Judicial Conduct Commission composition pending voter approval of SJR 27, and adds new reporting and accountability requirements for judges.
Chief Justice Blacklock told the Texas Judicial Council on May 13 that lawmakers finished a “historic” final‑day compromise that produced a 25% base pay increase for district judges and related pay adjustments across the judicial salary schedule.
The change, packaged in Senate Bill 293, will base many judicial and related salaries on the district‑judge base pay and creates new accountability and reporting requirements, the chief justice said. “It included the 25% increase to the base pay, but it also has a lot of other accountability measures and significant changes to the Judicial Conduct Commission,” Chief Justice Blacklock said.
Why it matters: Judicial pay is the anchor for salary changes that affect appellate justices, county‑court at‑law judges, prosecutors and supplements tied to the district base. Council leaders said the raise and the package were crucial to recruit and retain judges and to remove a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
