Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Also called: District Court Judge, Judge, Magistrate, Superior Court JudgeArbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. May sentence defendant in criminal cases according to government statutes or sentencing guidelines. May determine liability of defendant in civil cases. May perform wedding ceremonies.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 21 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $52,850 | $41,660 to $77,310 | 560 |
| Alaska | $183,310 | $128,550 to $216,220 | 140 |
| Arizona | $93,280 | $89,990 to $164,360 | 590 |
| Arkansas | not published | not published | 240 |
| Colorado | $198,790 | $170,080 to $198,790 | 620 |
| Connecticut | $217,760 | $217,760 to $217,760 | 230 |
| Delaware | $131,340 | $93,490 to $211,350 | 120 |
| Florida | $186,040 | $176,450 to $196,890 | 1,380 |
| Georgia | $133,660 | $70,420 to $155,840 | 1,190 |
| Hawaii | $211,810 | $205,300 to $217,110 | 120 |
| Idaho | $172,920 | $133,750 to $226,260 | 250 |
| Indiana | $183,000 | $146,400 to $183,000 | 790 |
| Iowa | $147,510 | $45,470 to $165,950 | 410 |
| Kansas | $148,910 | $76,590 to $148,910 | 420 |
| Kentucky | $150,650 | $141,750 to $156,550 | 370 |
| Louisiana | $83,040 | $41,600 to $119,000 | 180 |
| Maine | $161,470 | $121,120 to $161,470 | 100 |
| Maryland | $172,190 | $105,510 to $191,320 | 170 |
| Massachusetts | $221,710 | $186,170 to $221,710 | 610 |
| Michigan | $51,210 | $48,340 to $127,310 | 570 |
| Minnesota | $190,110 | $171,080 to $190,110 | 590 |
| Mississippi | $49,960 | $42,010 to $68,640 | 360 |
| Missouri | not published | not published | 600 |
| Montana | $84,630 | $48,930 to $113,150 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $208,180 | $202,550 to $208,180 | 160 |
| Nevada | $166,360 | $83,610 to $224,420 | 90 |
| New Jersey | $204,160 | $103,260 to $204,160 | 920 |
| New Mexico | $205,400 | $126,960 to $216,220 | 250 |
| New York | $216,390 | $174,250 to $232,590 | 2,270 |
| North Dakota | $171,100 | $110,580 to $171,100 | 130 |
| Ohio | $95,260 | $52,410 to $137,280 | 1,720 |
| Oregon | $166,400 | $94,960 to $178,260 | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $110,580 | $110,580 to $110,580 | not published |
| Puerto Rico | not published | not published | 490 |
| Rhode Island | $239,760 | $214,990 to $254,950 | 120 |
| South Carolina | $86,210 | $57,880 to $122,990 | 670 |
| Tennessee | $208,350 | $121,120 to $218,190 | 420 |
| Texas | $139,990 | $82,190 to $167,990 | 2,770 |
| Utah | $92,780 | $60,510 to $168,400 | 100 |
| Vermont | $194,170 | $146,410 to $194,170 | 80 |
| Virginia | $104,000 | $68,940 to $192,440 | 1,270 |
| Washington | $134,270 | $114,120 to $212,560 | 1,040 |
| West Virginia | $63,240 | $63,240 to $138,590 | 350 |
| Wisconsin | $76,620 | $46,230 to $136,640 | 130 |
Nationally: $153,990. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 9 of its 21 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed. | Not published |
| AI + software | Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony. | Not published |
| AI + software | Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges. | Not published |
| Not much | Advise attorneys, juries, litigants, and court personnel regarding conduct, issues, and proceedings. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write decisions on cases. | under 0.01% |
See all 21 tasks
| AI + software | Research legal issues and write opinions on the issues. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Interpret and enforce rules of procedure or establish new rules in situations where there are no procedures already established by law. | Not published |
| AI + software | Issue arrest warrants. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Settle disputes between opposing attorneys. | Not published |
| Not much | Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes. | Not published |
| Not much | Impose restrictions upon parties in civil cases until trials can be held. | Not published |
| AI + software | Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court. | Not published |
| Not much | Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise other judges, court officers, and the court's administrative staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct preliminary hearings to decide issues, such as whether there is reasonable and probable cause to hold defendants in felony cases. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide information regarding the judicial system or other legal issues through the media and public speeches. | Not published |
| Not much | Grant divorces and divide assets between spouses. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform wedding ceremonies. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in judicial tribunals to help resolve disputes. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 21 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 21 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- #48 Research laws, precedents, or other legal data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make legal decisions | |||
| Direct legal activities | |||
| Consult legal materials or public records | |||
| Investigate criminal or legal matters | |||
| Perform court-related or other legal administrative activities | |||
| Mediate disputes | |||
| Record information about legal matters | |||
| Authorize business activities or transactions |
Show all 11 activities
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Research laws, precedents, or other legal data | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report47%
- An analysis or summary26%
- An explanation or answer7%
- An email or message2%
- A plan or strategy1%
How they worked with Claude
80% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 9,918 moves out
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 16%
- 2 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 5%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 4 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 16,756 moves in
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 8%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Teacher Assistants (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Medical Records and Health Information Technicians (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 23% professional doctorate
- 66% research doctorate
- 10% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
1 program: Law.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/23-1023.00