Provides relative to judicial salaries

This bill enacts a new statute, R.S. 13:51, to establish a structured schedule of judicial salary increases for Louisiana judges spanning three fiscal years. Beginning July 1, 2026, the legislation converts a temporary supplement authorized under Act 390 of 2025 into a permanent cost of living adjustment and mandates additional salary increases totaling less than two percent annually since the last raise. The increases are specified by court level: twelve thousand one hundred twenty-nine dollars for Louisiana Supreme Court justices, eleven thousand four hundred thirty-one dollars for appellate judges, and ten thousand seven hundred twenty-three dollars for district court judges, with city and parish court judges receiving percentage-based increases matching those of district court judges. The statute then prescribes automatic increases of 2.7 percent effective July 1, 2027, and 2.1 percent effective July 1, 2028, for all covered judicial positions.

The practical effect of this legislation is to guarantee increased compensation for all Louisiana judges serving on the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, district courts, city courts, and parish courts. Individual judges will receive salary increases according to their court level and the effective date provisions, with the 2026 adjustment providing the largest increases in absolute dollar amounts and subsequent years providing percentage-based increases. The state-paid salary component for city and parish court judges is specifically addressed to ensure parity in percentage increases with district court judges. However, the salary increases for 2027 and 2028 are conditioned on approval by both the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana Judicial Budgetary Control Board based on their determination of available funding, meaning these adjustments are not absolute guarantees and may be suspended if the judiciary lacks sufficient resources.

The statute operates within Louisiana's existing judicial compensation framework and relates directly to Act 390 of the 2025 Regular Session, which established the initial supplement being converted into permanent adjustment under this bill. The legislation gives the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana Judicial Budgetary Control Board gatekeeping authority over cost of living adjustments for 2027 and 2028, requiring their approval and findings of fiscal sufficiency before increases take effect. The 2026-27 adjustment carries the additional requirement that the judiciary itself must fund the increase through its own reserves, shifting the financial burden to the judicial branch rather than requiring new appropriations. This framework reflects the constitutional and statutory structure governing judicial compensation in Louisiana and the institutional independence of the judiciary in managing its budgetary resources.