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JFAC approves judicial pay increases and new judges, including district and magistrate additions
Summary
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee approved judicial compensation increases and resource additions that include new district and magistrate judges and funding for court reporters and IT positions. The increases followed bills pending in the legislative process and were incorporated into the branch’s FY2026 appropriation recommendation.
The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on March 12 voted to fund judicial compensation adjustments and to add judicial resources across several districts, including new judgeships and magistrate positions.
What the motion did: the committee added funding for judicial compensation increases aligned with a pending statutory proposal (presented to the committee as House Bill 322 in committee discussion) that raises salaries for justices and judges (the package as framed at committee called for a 10% increase for Supreme Court justices, 10.5% for Court of Appeals justices, 10.9% for district judges and 11.5% for magistrate judges). The committee also approved a request for additional judicial resources that included one new district judge in the First Judicial District (Coeur d’Alene), one new district judge in the Seventh Judicial District (Bonneville County), and two magistrate judges (including an addition in the Fifth Judicial District in Twin Falls and one in the Seventh Judicial District). Each new district judge included funding for an associated court reporter at rates aligned with existing judicial branch reporter pay.
IT and staffing: enhancement 3 added funding to fully fund IT positions initially partially funded in FY2025. The committee’s total FY2026 motion for the judicial branch added about $5.19 million from the General Fund and six full‑time equivalent positions; members reported the total appropriation reflected a roughly 5.5% increase over FY2025.
Vote and procedure: the committee’s motion carried on roll call with committee majorities recorded on the record and will carry a due‑pass recommendation. The chair noted that some trailer bills supporting these enhancements will be folded into agency budgets for transmission rather than processed as stand‑alone bills.
Ending: committee approval provides immediate appropriation authority for the judicial pay and resources package; statutory changes and final implementation depend on the companion bills and the legislature’s final actions for the fiscal year.
