Many judges in New Jersey retire and return to the bench to handle more cases. They are known as recall judges, and they've been in demand more than usual lately.

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More than 70 individuals agreed to serve as recall judges so far this fiscal year. In all of 2009, just 45 judges served on a recall basis.

"The primary reason for the increase this time around is vacancies," said Winnie Comfort with the state court system. "We've had a fair number of older judges retiring."

As they continue to earn their pensions, these temporary judges also make $300 per day. By law, their annual pay can not go beyond what they'd earn as a full-time judge. As of April 2013, the cost of recall judges in New Jersey for the current fiscal year was $2,750,000.

Comfort said recall judges are a very important part of court management in New Jersey, and without them, there would be "holes in the system" across the state.

Recall judges can also be used to address a backlog in cases, but according to Comfort, case load numbers have not been significantly higher in the past year or so.

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