Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

Low Risk
23%
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Vote Comments (15)
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AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
18%
(Minimal Risk)
POLLING
27%
(Low Risk)
Average: 23%
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
3.4%
by year 2033
WAGES
$148,910
or $71.59 per hour
Volume
24,470
as of 2023
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
7.0/10

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Calculated automation risk

18% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): Occupations in this category have a low probability of being automated, as they typically demand complex problem-solving, creativity, strong interpersonal skills, and a high degree of manual dexterity. These jobs often involve intricate hand movements and precise coordination, making it difficult for machines to replicate the required tasks.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some very important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Social Perceptiveness

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Negotiation

  • Originality

  • Persuasion

User poll

27% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 18% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?






Sentiment

The following graph is included wherever there is a substantial amount of votes to render meaningful data. These visual representations display user poll results over time, providing a significant indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Moderate growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates' job openings is expected to rise 3.4% by 2033

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031
Updated projections are due 09-2024.

Wages

Very high paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates' was $148,910, or $71 per hour

'Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates' were paid 209.8% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 24,470 people employed as 'Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 6 thousand people are employed as 'Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates'.

Job description

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.

SOC Code: 23-1023.00

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Comments

Leave a comment

David Lee (Highly likely) 19 days ago
Most of the Judges work is determining the outcome of a case, using the factual similarities with other cases verdict. This is repetitive work.
0 0 Reply
Infernus (Low) 25 days ago
Because Robots cant understand and have empathy, only logic
0 0 Reply
Exactlyyyy (No chance) 5 months ago
You need to have empathy and be humane in addition to understanding the law itself. I also dont think society would allow a computer to pass a verdict.
0 0 Reply
Y (Uncertain) 2 years ago
I think it really just depends on our ethics. We could either go dystopic or continue to be semi-nice humans.
0 0 Reply
Rei (No chance) 2 years ago
Unless AI can develop what you call "feeling", "empathy", and "decisiveness", it's quite hard to change how judges work. The job is not only about guilty or not, or who is right, but also about how the people around your place evaluate what is a crime and what is right.
0 0 Reply
I ate your burger that you left in the fridge (Uncertain) 3 years ago
Honestly, I'm leaning towards no, but I'm already seeing some robot lawyers. And if lawyers are replaced, won't judges be replaced as well? But yet again, judges make laws. And it is a bit hard to imagine a robot making laws.
0 0 Reply
N (Small Chance) 3 years ago
I don't think judges will be replaced by AI/robots. Like someone else said, judges do not only follow laws, they also help make them. Imagine a robot help make a law, it's hard to imagine for me. I also feel that sure, technology will improve later, and robots will be more like humans, and possibly be better than many of them. But I feel like judges are in an OKAY, spot.
0 0 Reply
john (Highly likely) 3 years ago
At least a robot will be impartial and cannot be bribed
0 0 Reply
marc (Low) 3 years ago
Sentencing is grounded on choice.
0 0 Reply
K (Low) 4 years ago
small chance because when judges will be automated then lawyer need to be automated
0 0 Reply
Darp (No chance) 4 years ago
Why are you argumenting the percentage with the grey area of the job? It's
an argument for why they won't be replaced in my opinion. Just imagine a drug dealer and a
person having the drug because they believe it would help their dying grandmother, how can they both serve the same sentance for possesion?
0 0 Reply
Judgemental (Highly likely) 5 years ago
Judges are people who have prejudices based upon experience and are unconsciously biased. The same case tried by all judges would never produce the same outcome. It’s a flawed system, and a lottery. Good luck to those who are innocent and falsely accused.
0 0 Reply
jac 5 years ago
judges dont just follow laws. they change laws and base decisions on moral grey area and circumstance. perhaps traffic court will have robot judges but i doubt we will ever see a robot in federal or supreme courts. mercy, compassion, and social understanding should never be expected from a machine.
0 0 Reply
Elliott (Highly likely) 5 years ago
Laws are very easy to interpret, I'm very sure the Internet already has the answer to 99.9% of all questions regarding whether something should be categorized as a felony or not. The United States has made up its mind on almost everything, I don't think judges really use their imagination to do this job, they just follow instructions as guided in the rules book.That's why I think the chances are much higher than 40%.

That's why I think the judges' probability of automation is closer to 95% than 40%, much like the accountants.
0 0 Reply
Legal Services (Extremely unlikely) 5 years ago
Laws by definition are not very easy to interpret. Hence the necessity to have lawyers and Judges deliberate in court over the interpretation of different laws and Acts and is why, for example, in Australia we have the Acts Interpretation Act.

I agree with jac. I think it's highly unlikely Judges will be replaced by robots/A.I. anytime in the near or distant future if at all not only because of the complicated nature of what their jobs entails, secondly, the human touch required to do so as jac touched upon and, thirdly, because on a deeper, more philosophical but also more tantamount level, to do so would, essentially, be surrendering our core and fundamental power as human beings to govern our own kind. If we were to hand over judiciary powers and control to A.I. we would effectively be putting mankind on the bench forever. It would tear the core fabric of our humanity and everything the human race has achieved thus far in all antiquity and hopes to achieve in all future and for those reasons and more, I believe, simply could not and would not ever happen.

So, realistically, I think the automation risk level of this particular category should be reassessed to almost zero because anyone in their right mind with any semblance of logic and understanding of the justice system couldn't possibly surmise that it could realistically be awarded a percentile score that such could happen higher than that.
0 0 Reply

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