Minnesota / Trial Courts

Agency file

Trial Courts

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Trial Courts operates the court system — adjudicating cases and maintaining judicial records.

In 2025, this agency had 3,104 employees with median total compensation of $61,906; the highest distinct record was $211,699.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $222M
Employees: 3,104
Median total: $61,906
Highest record: $211,699

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$250$190,118+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 3,104 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($61,906) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $70,796 (99%)
Overtime — $75 (0%)
Other — $660 (1%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$17,238

$46,127

$61,906

$82,862

$158,775

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $158,775 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $17,238. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Jud Court Operations Associate

1,005 · $47,550

Jud District Court Law Clerk

427 · $61,903

Jud District Court Judge

282 · $190,117

Jud Court Reporter Steno

152 · $84,682

Jud Court Operation Supervisor

149 · $82,000

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$210.8M —	3,118 —	$58,520 —
2025	$222M ▲ 5.3%	3,104 ▼ 0.4%	$61,906 ▲ 5.8%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Robert Sommerville

Jud District Administrator B/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$178,483

Sub-department: 9th Cass Judge
Base pay: $178,483
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $178,483
Hire date: 2003-07-01
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Beltrami

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Robert Sommerville works as a Jud District Administrator B for Trial Courts within 9Th Cass Judge. Their tenure dates to 2003, about 22 years as a full-time employee. Robert earned $178,483 in 2025. Union affiliation: Agency Exclusion.

Melissa Kantola

Jud Deputy District Administrative C/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$178,457

Sub-department: 4th District Adminstration
Base pay: $177,957
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $500
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $178,457
Hire date: 2007-08-20
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Melissa Kantola works as a Jud Deputy District Administrative C for Trial Courts within 4Th District Adminstration. They have served since 2007 (about 18 years) as a full-time employee. Melissa earned $178,457 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is Agency Exclusion.

Erik Askegaard

Jud District Court Judge/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$177,735

Sub-department: Trial Court Judges
Base pay: $177,735
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $177,735
Hire date: 2010-01-04
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 1
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Bi-Weekly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Crow Wing

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: No
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Bi-Weekly

Erik Askegaard holds the role of Jud District Court Judge at Trial Courts within Trial Court Judges. Their tenure dates to 2010, about 15 years as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $177,735. Their bargaining unit is Agency Exclusion.

Karl Schmidt

Jud District Court Judge/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$175,549

Sub-department: Trial Court Judges
Base pay: $175,549
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $175,549
Hire date: 1994-02-01
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 1
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Bi-Weekly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Benton

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Bi-Weekly

At Trial Courts, Karl Schmidt serves as a Jud District Court Judge within Trial Court Judges. They have served since 1994 (about 31 years), working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $175,549. Union affiliation: Agency Exclusion.

Brandy Martin

Jud Deputy District Administrative C/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$175,407

Sub-department: 4th District Adminstration
Base pay: $175,407
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $175,407
Hire date: 2013-10-14
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Brandy Martin works as a Jud Deputy District Administrative C for Trial Courts within 4Th District Adminstration. Hired in 2013, they have about 12 years of service as a full-time employee. Brandy earned $175,407 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is Agency Exclusion.

Naomi Garfinkel

Jud Referee/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$175,150

Sub-department: 4th Hennepin Judge
Base pay: $170,234
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $4,916
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $175,150
Hire date: 2018-04-16
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 30
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Naomi Garfinkel is a Jud Referee at Trial Courts within 4Th Hennepin Judge. Hired in 2018, they have about 7 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $175,150. They are represented by Agency Exclusion.

Joshua Ogunleye

Jud Referee/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$175,150

Sub-department: 4th Hennepin Judge
Base pay: $170,234
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $4,916
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $175,150
Hire date: 2017-01-11
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 30
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Joshua Ogunleye holds the role of Jud Referee at Trial Courts within 4Th Hennepin Judge. Hired in 2017, they have about 8 years of service as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $175,150. Union affiliation: Agency Exclusion.

Richard Stebbins

Jud Referee/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$175,150

Sub-department: 4th Hennepin Judge
Base pay: $170,234
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $4,916
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $175,150
Hire date: 1993-09-27
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 30
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Richard Stebbins works as a Jud Referee for Trial Courts within 4Th Hennepin Judge. Their tenure dates to 1993, about 32 years as a full-time employee. Richard earned $175,150 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is Agency Exclusion.

Charlene Hatcher

Jud District Court Judge/Trial Courts

2025 total comp

$174,821

Sub-department: Trial Court Judges
Base pay: $174,821
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $174,821
Hire date: 2016-07-01
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 1
Union / bargaining unit: Agency Exclusion
Pay basis: Bi-Weekly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Hennepin

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: No
Agency Number: J33
Bargaining Unit Number: 222
Branch: Judicial
Branch Code: Judicial
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Bi-Weekly

Charlene Hatcher works as a Jud District Court Judge for Trial Courts within Trial Court Judges. They have served since 2016 (about 9 years) as a full-time employee. Charlene earned $174,821 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is Agency Exclusion.