Substantial salary increases have been recently been approved for New Jersey state administrative law judges. The New Jersey State Bar Association and interested practitioners played an important role in convincing a unanimous legislative commission studying compensation for public officers that New Jersey ALJs deserved compensation equivalent with that state's workers' compensation judges and be tied by statute to the salaries of that state's Superior Court judges.

As a result, New Jersey ALJs and Workers' Compensation Judges are now established at 85% of the Superior Court Judges salaries which were set for the year 2000 at $133,000; $137,000 for 2001; and $141,000 for 2002. As a consequence of the new law, New Jersey ALJs will receive a maximum of $113,305 for 2000; $116,590 for 2001; and $119,850 for 2002. Recently appointed ALJs, according to the new statute, will receive 75% of the Superior Court Judges salary in their first year ($99,750 in 2000), 78.67% in their second year, and 81.67% in their third year, reaching the new maximum of 85% in their fourth year.

There is no substantial difference between the work of New Jersey ALJs and Illinois ALJs. If Illinois ALJs were paid using the same standard as New Jersey ALJs, they would be paid a maximum of $101,342 in 2000. New Illinois ALJs would be paid $89,420 in 2000 under the New Jersey plan.

The most recent national survey of salaries of state and federal administrative law judges shows Illinois ALJs falling farther behind the pay of their counterparts in other states.

While Illinois ranks near the top of all states in total income (5th) and per capita income (8th), its presiding officers of administrative hearings are paid much less than such administrative officials in other, less wealthy states, despite almost identical duties and often greater qualifications. In Illinois, most, but not all, state ALJs are attorneys. That is not the case in many other states.

For example, Illinois ALJs are generally paid less than ALJs in the neighboring states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and Iowa.

The Survey of Administrative Law Judge Salaries prepared by the Judicial Compensation Committee of the National Association of Administrative Law Judges (NAALJ) surveyed state ALJ salaries from fifty states and the District of Columbia as of January 1, 1999. The survey studied ALJ salaries of ten different types commonly employed by state governments. It also surveys the salaries of central panel ALJs employed by various identified states. The survey compares similar federal administrative law judge/hearing examiner positions and the salaries of trial judges.

For a free copy of the NAALJ survey, please contact the editor or e-mail IAALJ@justice.com or visit the NAALJ web site at www.naalj.org.