Instead of retiring, a U.S. federal court judge who has reached 65 years of age, and attained 15 years of judicial experience, may opt for senior status. Senior status allows a judge to retain their office, reduce their workload by three-quarters, and still earn a full federal judge’s salary.
Allowing judges to opt for senior status has benefits for the federal court system:
Senior status makes federal judgeships very attractive positions for bright, publicly minded attorneys.