Will AI replace judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?

Parts of the job are being automated. About 2h 31m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots already do largely on their own. The rest still needs a person. The other 5h 29m (69%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.8% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 3 of 21 tasks, about 2h 31m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues. (1h 3m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Write decisions on cases. (52m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Research legal issues and write opinions on the issues. (37m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

5h 29m of a typical shift, or 69%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges. (1h 18m a shift)
• Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed. (42m a shift)
• Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes. (21m a shift)
• Advise attorneys, juries, litigants, and court personnel regarding conduct, issues, and proceedings. (21m a shift)
• Settle disputes between opposing attorneys. (21m a shift)

Part of the answer is the setting, not just the tasks. Work that is in person, hands on or high stakes is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 89% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 89% handle conflict at least once a week
• 89% talk face to face with others every day

For the 3 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 7h 8m for a person alone and about 41m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Research legal issues and write opinions on the issues (about 7h 28m alone, 41m with AI)
• Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues (about 7h 8m alone, 42m with AI)
• Write decisions on cases (about 5h 3m alone, 23m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Legal sector are at 122% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 1.2% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 800 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $153,990 a year ($74.03 an hour), 202% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $46,950 and $221,710 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 2.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 26,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 800 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 24,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 512th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 26,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a doctoral degree: about 66% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 29m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers (1h 14m touched, $81k median pay)
• Lawyers (1h 36m touched, $160k median pay)
• Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists (0m touched, $66k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 3 observed in real AI use, 18 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.