Court of appeals judge vs circuit judge

The differences between courts of appeals judge and circuit judges can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a court of appeals judge and a circuit judge. Additionally, a circuit judge has an average salary of $58,451, which is higher than the $56,871 average annual salary of a court of appeals judge.

The top three skills for a court of appeals judge include appeals, legal issues and legal research. The most important skills for a circuit judge are appeals, legal research, and court orders.

Court of appeals judge vs circuit judge overview

	Court Of Appeals Judge	Circuit Judge
Yearly salary	$56,871	$58,451
Hourly rate	$27.34	$28.10
Growth rate	-1%	-1%
Number of jobs	806	588
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	10	10

Court of appeals judge vs circuit judge salary

Courts of appeals judge and circuit judges have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Court Of Appeals Judge	Circuit Judge
Average salary	$56,871	$58,451
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $89,000	Between $38,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between court of appeals judge and circuit judge education

There are a few differences between a court of appeals judge and a circuit judge in terms of educational background:

	Court Of Appeals Judge	Circuit Judge
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Court of appeals judge vs circuit judge demographics

Here are the differences between courts of appeals judge' and circuit judges' demographics:

	Court Of Appeals Judge	Circuit Judge
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 58.8% Female, 41.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between court of appeals judge and circuit judge duties and responsibilities

Court of appeals judge example responsibilities.

Research and draft opinions, orders, and memoranda on criminal, civil, workers' compensation and administrative agency appeals.
Perform extensive research and prepare legal memoranda on domestic relations and probate issues.
Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

Circuit judge example responsibilities.

Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
Perform extensive research and prepare legal memoranda on domestic relations and probate issues.
Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

Court of appeals judge vs circuit judge skills

Common court of appeals judge skills

Appeals, 23%
Legal Issues, 12%
Legal Research, 12%
Criminal Cases, 11%
Court Orders, 8%
Court Proceedings, 7%

Common circuit judge skills

Appeals, 54%
Legal Research, 24%
Court Orders, 12%
Probate, 9%

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Court Of Appeals Judge
Court Of Appeals Judge vs Circuit Judge

Updated January 8, 2025

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