The Judges' Retirement System provides retirement benefit funding for California's Supreme and Appellate Court Judges, as well as Superior and Municipal Court Judges.

The Judges' Retirement System provides retirement, disability, and death benefits based on age, years of service, compensation of active judges, and eligibility as determined by specific sections of the Judges' Retirement Law. The Judges' Retirement System receives contributions equal to 8 percent of salary from both active judges and the state. Additional contributions come from filing fees for specific civil cases and investment income. These contributions, however, are not sufficient to fully fund benefit payments. Consequently, current law requires the state to fund the difference between existing contribution sources and the required benefit payments to retired judges.

A second retirement system for judges was established in 1994. All new judges elected or appointed on or after November 9, 1994, become members of Judges' Retirement System II. The Judges' Retirement System II receives contributions from judges equal to 8 percent of salary as well as investment income. The state's contributions are adjusted annually to maintain actuarial soundness of the fund. Judges' Retirement System II members eligible for a service retirement also have the option of choosing the monetary credit plan (a lump-sum return of contributions and interest earned) or the defined benefit plan.