Career Explorer Law
Changing shape
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
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.
Changing faster than most: more resilient than 21% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.8% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on ethical judgement.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $153,990
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.8%
- Openings a year
- 800
- People doing it (2025)
- 25,300
- Usual route in
- Doctorate or professional degree, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Consult legal materials or public records
- Investigate criminal or legal matters
- Research laws, precedents, or other legal data
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Direct legal activities
- Make legal decisions
- Record information about legal matters
What the work looks like
- Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
- Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children.
- Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
- Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
- Write decisions on cases.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Judicial law clerksChanging shape, Index 23, +2.8%
- Family medicine physiciansChanging shape, Index 49, +3.3%
- LawyersGrows with AI, Index 29, +4.7%
- Genetic counselorsGrows with AI, Index 40, +10.4%
Also known as: District Court Judge, Judge, Magistrate, Superior Court Judge, Circuit Court Judge, Circuit Judge, County Judge, Court of Appeals Judge.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.