Oregon judges preside over some of the highest stakes matters in life — ranging from murder trials to multimillion dollar lawsuits to whether children will be allowed to stay with struggling parents. Yet they are sometimes the lowest paid lawyer in their courtroom.

They can earn far less than some of the senior prosecutors and privately retained attorneys who appear before them, leading judges to leave the profession for higher paying legal jobs or would-be judges to shun the idea of ever becoming one, a panel of judges told a state legislative committee Monday.

A bill before the Legislature aims to solve that problem by boosting the salaries of more than 200 state judges by nearly 30%. That would amount to raises of about $55,000 to $60,000 per year. It’d also put the compensation of Oregon judges in the ballpark of salaries paid to their peers in Washington and California.

When adjusted for cost of living, Oregon ranked 43rd in pay to its circuit court judges, according to a 2024 salary survey by the National Center for State Courts. A chart of salaries compiled by the Oregon Judicial Department also shows lawyers with 16 to 20 years of experience make nearly double the salaries of the state’s circuit court judges.

“Don’t misunderstand me — judges are above all else deeply dedicated public servants, committed stewards of our justice system,” Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Meagan Flynn told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “None of them took the bench thinking they’d make the money that our colleagues in private practice can charge.”

But, Flynn added, their salaries must stay “competitive.”

Specifically, Senate Bill 96 would boost the annual pay of Oregon’s 181 circuit court judges from about $185,500 to $240,000 starting in July. That’s a nearly $55,000 increase. As a point of comparison, Oregon’s counterparts in Washington currently make $228,000 per a year and that will rise to about $237,000 in July.

Oregon’s 13 Court of Appeals judges would see a $58,000 increase to their annual earnings, which would rise to between $255,000 and $260,000. Meanwhile, Oregon Supreme Court’s seven justices would get about a $59,000 pay bump and make between $260,000 and $265,000 per year.

Oregon also has a tradition of paying public officials other than judges less than other states do — with some of the lowest salaries in the nation for governor at $98,600, attorney general at about $82,000 and secretary of state at $77,000. Last November, voters rejected a statewide measure to create a commission that would establish salaries for these officials, state lawmakers and judges.

Monday, a half dozen people offered written or spoken testimony in support of the bill to raise judges’ salaries. No one opposed it. State budget analysts didn’t pin a cost to the pay raise during Monday’s hearing, but quick math shows it’d cost roughly to $11 million per year.

Josephine County Circuit Judge Matthew Galli played for the committee a recording of a death threat uttered by a defendant toward him that he’d agreed to release from jail on $3,000 bail.

“I’ll kill you,” the man can be heard saying, in a deep, guttural voice, as he also mutters something about the judge’s house.

“Every judge has similar experiences,” Galli said. “If we expect to attract the talented lawyers with the experience and wisdom needed to manage this type of situation, our speciality treatment courts, the evolving mental health crisis and varied dockets ranging from criminal to complex civil litigation, compensation for Oregon judges needs to be addressed.”

He added: “I implore you to get this done.”

In line with national norms, Oregon sets a standard salary for judges across the state, regardless of the types of cases they preside over or the cost of living in their counties. The bill wouldn’t change that.

Judges in Deschutes counties, where the median home price is the most expensive in the state at about $674,000 (and significantly higher than Multnomah County’s $551,000), get paid the same as judges in the two lowest cost-counties, Gilliam and Harney. The median home price in those counties is $163,000 and $197,000 respectively, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Monday, the committee also heard testimony in support of Senate Bill 95, which would increase the number of circuit judges by six, to 187 statewide. Supporters say a study found Oregon needs a few dozen more judges and this bill would help ease the tremendous workload placed upon judges in five of the highest-need counties, said Flynn, the chief justice. That includes Clackamas County, which would get two new judges by 2026, bringing its total to 13.

“We’re here today,” Flynn said, “to ask that you approve our request for the fraction of the current need.”