Section 12-10B-1
Uniform pay plan for circuit judges, district judges, appellate court judges, and supreme court justices.
(a) Pursuant to Amendment 426 of the Constitution of Alabama 1901, now appearing as Section 148 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, beginning on October 1, 2021, judges and justices shall be compensated as follows:
(1) The chief justice of the supreme court’s initial salary shall be one hundred seventy-six thousand dollars ($176,000).
(2) An associate supreme court justice’s initial salary shall be one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($175,000).
(3) An appellate court judge’s initial salary shall be one hundred seventy-four thousand dollars ($174,000). The presiding judge of any appellate court shall receive additional compensation of five hundred dollars ($500) per year.
(4) A circuit judge’s initial salary shall be one hundred forty thousand dollars ($140,000).
(5) A district judge’s initial salary shall be one hundred thirty-nine thousand dollars ($139,000).
(b)(1)a. The salary of circuit judges and district judges shall be increased by 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of six full years of service as a circuit or district judge. The salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of 12 full years of service as a circuit or district judge. The salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of 18 full years of service as a circuit or district judge.
b. A district judge who is subsequently appointed or elected as a circuit judge shall receive as an initial salary the base salary of a circuit judge plus the appropriate amount for bench experience as a circuit or district judge as provided in paragraph a.
c. A circuit or district judge who is subsequently appointed or elected as the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate court, shall receive the initial salary of the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or an appellate court judge as provided in subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a).
(2)a. The salary of the chief justice of the supreme court, supreme court justices, and judges of the appellate courts shall be increased by 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of six full years of service as the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate court. The salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of 12 full years of service as the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate court. The salary shall be increased by an additional 7.5 percent on October 1 after the completion of 18 full years of service as the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate court.
b. A chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate court who is subsequently appointed or elected as a chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of an appellate court shall receive as an initial salary the base salary of the judge or justice as provided in subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a), plus the appropriate amount for bench experience as the chief justice of the supreme court, a supreme court justice, or a judge of the appellate court as provided in paragraph a.
(3) The compensation paid by the state to any judge or justice in service on October 1, 2021, may not be diminished pursuant to this section. If a judge’s or justice’s compensation would be diminished pursuant to subsection (a), his or her compensation received on October 1, 2021, shall remain the same as it was prior to October 1, 2021, and may not be increased until the bench experience increase provided for in subsection (b) exceeds his or her current compensation.
(c)(1) Notwithstanding any existing general or local law, existing circuit or district judges in service on October 1, 2021, and any circuit or district judge appointed or elected after October 1, 2021, may only be paid compensation from the State Treasury, and may not receive any salary supplement or expense allowance, or both, from any county.
(2) This subsection shall supersede any local law providing a salary supplement or expense allowance for a circuit or district judge.
(Act 2021-441, §1.)