Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
What Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Do
Arbitrate, 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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Law and Governmentimportance 4.9/5
- English Languageimportance 4.5/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.6/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.4/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.3/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.1/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.8/5
- Therapy and Counselingimportance 2.7/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions5.0/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.9/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.9/5
- E-Mail4.8/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers99% skill match
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
- Insurance Underwriters97% skill match
- Political Scientists97% skill match
- Historians97% skill match
- History Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
- Sociologists96% skill match
- Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.3/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.3/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
- Instructingimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Courtroom scheduling software
- Email software
- Hyland OnBase Enterprise Content Management
- LexisNexis
- Online databases
- Thomson Reuters Westlaw
- Videoconferencing software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Attention to Detail
- Self-Control
- Leadership Orientation
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Cautiousness
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- EnterprisingHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- SocialMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- RealisticLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR4.55× national avg
- 2Boise City, ID4.03× national avg
- 3Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX3.53× national avg
- 4Youngstown-Warren, OH3.33× national avg
- 5Topeka, KS3.04× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- LawyersLateral Move
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing OfficersLateral Move
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, PostsecondaryCareer Change
- PsychiatristsCareer Change
See the full career path from Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Law
- Georgetown University (Washington, DC)grads earn ~$226,624
- Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)grads earn ~$291,490
- George Washington University (Washington, DC)grads earn ~$140,848
- New York University (New York, NY)grads earn ~$255,401
- Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)grads earn ~$308,943