By Anna Rossow
Gongwer News Service
The State Officers Compensation Commission approved a determination Wednesday that would increase salaries for state elected officers by 25 percent.
Under the current system, the commission makes determinations on salary increases (or decreases) for the governor, lieutenant governor, Supreme Court justices, legislators, attorney general and secretary of state. The salary changes only take effect if the Legislature approves them.
The commission members meet every two years to make recommendations for changes in lawmaker salaries.
The Legislature has not acted on a pay increase for anyone other than the justices since 2002. All state officers other than the Supreme Court justices saw a 10 percent
salary reduction in 2011. Several times since, the commission has recommended restoring those salaries and the Legislature has not acted.
In 2019, the commission recommended an increase for Supreme Court justices only, knowing the Legislature was unlikely to approve an increase for themselves or the other officers. In 2021, the commission recommended increases across the board, which weren’t taken up. In 2023, the commission again recommended increases for Supreme Court justices only, which were adopted.
Due to the Commission including legislators in the determination, the proposal is unlikely to pass since legislators have been unwilling to increase their own salaries. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) swiftly said the proposal was dead on arrival.
If it were to pass, it would go into effect on January 1, 2027.
The motion to approve the salary increase was unanimously approved.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh and Justice Brian Zahra lobbied for an increase of justice salaries by 22 percent, 11 percent a year for two years.
Zahra said in October 2025, Michigan Supreme Court justices will become the lowest paid judges in the state.
“We do not serve for the pay but having compensation that lags behind substantially every other judicial salary in Michigan and one that lags every comparable salary from neighboring states and the federal court system will discourage the best and the brightest in the field from either seeking to serve or staying on the court,” he said.
He said in neighboring states such as Illinois, Ohio and Indiana, the average pay for justices is $231,028, 27 percent more than Michigan. The current salary for Michigan justices is $181,483.
According to the 2025 Michigan Civil Service Commission Survey Report, current salaries for other public officials are $159,300 for the governor, $111,510 for the lieutenant governor, $71,685 for legislators and $112,410 for both the attorney general and secretary of state.
Cavanaugh said that in October, Michigan Court of Appeals judges will exceed Supreme Court justices for the first time, earning 8 percent more, a $14,000 gap, over the justices. District court, circuit court and probate court judges will also exceed justices in October.
Judges at the appellate, circuit and district court levels are paid based on a percentage of what the Supreme Court justices made in 2015, plus an amount equal to the percentage pay increase in what non-union state workers have received starting January 1, 2016.
She said the salary for Michigan Supreme Court Justices ranks 45th in the nation, and the requested increase would change that ranking to 20th by 2028.
“The requested increase simply catches us up to our colleagues in the other courts,” she said.
She said the 11 percent increases are significant, and for that reason she asked the commission to not include an expense account.
Zahra said justices’ salaries, if adjusted for inflation, would be $275,380, approximately $94,000 more than the actual current salary. By 2028, they predicted this gap will grow to more than $110,000.
He also said that the current compensation system is broken.
“We ask that in addition to the salary recommendation you advance, you specifically call for a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that will allow the voters of Michigan to consider a replacement to the current system under which no member of the political branches of government has received an increase in compensation in over 22 years, and the justices of the Michigan Supreme Court have become the lowest paid judges in Michigan,” Zahra said. “The system cannot be fixed without a constitutional amendment, and the legislators have it in their power to place an alternative system on the ballot and ask the electorate whether a change is in order.”
In 2001, the SOCC recommended a 38 percent pay increase for legislators. Under the system in the Constitution at the time, the SOCC determination automatically took effect unless rejected by two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers – a standard that meant increases were seldom, if ever rejected. The public outrage over the 38 percent increase was so severe it prompted the Legislature to put the language now in place onto the 2002 ballot as a constitutional amendment. It passed.
Deputy Attorney General Peter Manning asked the commission for an increase in salary to a comparable level to the justices. Justices currently make $69,073 more than the attorney general and secretary of state.
He also asked for an expense allowance for the attorney general, due to traveling to different areas of the state and being one of the two state officers who do not have an expense allowance. He said that any action taken would not benefit Attorney General Dana Nessel due to it taking effect next term when she would be out of office.
Hall said at a press conference on Wednesday that he would not be open to considering the recommendation on increasing salaries.
“We’re not going to raise our pay, we’re not going to entertain that at all,” he said.
Gongwer News Service
The State Officers Compensation Commission approved a determination Wednesday that would increase salaries for state elected officers by 25 percent.
Under the current system, the commission makes determinations on salary increases (or decreases) for the governor, lieutenant governor, Supreme Court justices, legislators, attorney general and secretary of state. The salary changes only take effect if the Legislature approves them.
The commission members meet every two years to make recommendations for changes in lawmaker salaries.
The Legislature has not acted on a pay increase for anyone other than the justices since 2002. All state officers other than the Supreme Court justices saw a 10 percent
salary reduction in 2011. Several times since, the commission has recommended restoring those salaries and the Legislature has not acted.
In 2019, the commission recommended an increase for Supreme Court justices only, knowing the Legislature was unlikely to approve an increase for themselves or the other officers. In 2021, the commission recommended increases across the board, which weren’t taken up. In 2023, the commission again recommended increases for Supreme Court justices only, which were adopted.
Due to the Commission including legislators in the determination, the proposal is unlikely to pass since legislators have been unwilling to increase their own salaries. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) swiftly said the proposal was dead on arrival.
If it were to pass, it would go into effect on January 1, 2027.
The motion to approve the salary increase was unanimously approved.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh and Justice Brian Zahra lobbied for an increase of justice salaries by 22 percent, 11 percent a year for two years.
Zahra said in October 2025, Michigan Supreme Court justices will become the lowest paid judges in the state.
“We do not serve for the pay but having compensation that lags behind substantially every other judicial salary in Michigan and one that lags every comparable salary from neighboring states and the federal court system will discourage the best and the brightest in the field from either seeking to serve or staying on the court,” he said.
He said in neighboring states such as Illinois, Ohio and Indiana, the average pay for justices is $231,028, 27 percent more than Michigan. The current salary for Michigan justices is $181,483.
According to the 2025 Michigan Civil Service Commission Survey Report, current salaries for other public officials are $159,300 for the governor, $111,510 for the lieutenant governor, $71,685 for legislators and $112,410 for both the attorney general and secretary of state.
Cavanaugh said that in October, Michigan Court of Appeals judges will exceed Supreme Court justices for the first time, earning 8 percent more, a $14,000 gap, over the justices. District court, circuit court and probate court judges will also exceed justices in October.
Judges at the appellate, circuit and district court levels are paid based on a percentage of what the Supreme Court justices made in 2015, plus an amount equal to the percentage pay increase in what non-union state workers have received starting January 1, 2016.
She said the salary for Michigan Supreme Court Justices ranks 45th in the nation, and the requested increase would change that ranking to 20th by 2028.
“The requested increase simply catches us up to our colleagues in the other courts,” she said.
She said the 11 percent increases are significant, and for that reason she asked the commission to not include an expense account.
Zahra said justices’ salaries, if adjusted for inflation, would be $275,380, approximately $94,000 more than the actual current salary. By 2028, they predicted this gap will grow to more than $110,000.
He also said that the current compensation system is broken.
“We ask that in addition to the salary recommendation you advance, you specifically call for a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that will allow the voters of Michigan to consider a replacement to the current system under which no member of the political branches of government has received an increase in compensation in over 22 years, and the justices of the Michigan Supreme Court have become the lowest paid judges in Michigan,” Zahra said. “The system cannot be fixed without a constitutional amendment, and the legislators have it in their power to place an alternative system on the ballot and ask the electorate whether a change is in order.”
In 2001, the SOCC recommended a 38 percent pay increase for legislators. Under the system in the Constitution at the time, the SOCC determination automatically took effect unless rejected by two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers – a standard that meant increases were seldom, if ever rejected. The public outrage over the 38 percent increase was so severe it prompted the Legislature to put the language now in place onto the 2002 ballot as a constitutional amendment. It passed.
Deputy Attorney General Peter Manning asked the commission for an increase in salary to a comparable level to the justices. Justices currently make $69,073 more than the attorney general and secretary of state.
He also asked for an expense allowance for the attorney general, due to traveling to different areas of the state and being one of the two state officers who do not have an expense allowance. He said that any action taken would not benefit Attorney General Dana Nessel due to it taking effect next term when she would be out of office.
Hall said at a press conference on Wednesday that he would not be open to considering the recommendation on increasing salaries.
“We’re not going to raise our pay, we’re not going to entertain that at all,” he said.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
