Mayor Calls For Raises For State Judges
Mayor Calls For Raises For State Judges
December 02, 2007 -
Mayor Michael Bloomberg used his weekly radio address to call on leaders in Albany to move on the first pay raises for state judges in eight years.
The mayor says without the increases, state courts can't attract the best candidates for the job. He says Albany politics have left the process at a standstill.
"In a court room, each case must be considered on its own merits, and the facts of each case must be carefully considered," said the mayor. "But in Albany, too often good legislation gets held hostage to horse trading. The result is that even when everyone agrees, nothing gets done."
Raises for judges, as well as state lawmakers, have been proposed. Governor Eliot Spitzer had said he would not sign off until the legislature agreed to overhaul campaign finance laws, though last week he indicated he may change his tune.
Other court employees such as clerks and court officers have seen their wages go up 33 percent since the last judicial pay raise in 1999.
COMMENTARY:
Why Our Judges Deserve a Raise:
New York State Supreme Court justices are paid $136,700 a year; upstate Family Court and other judges receive $119,000 or less.
Although these salaries are higher than that of many New Yorkers, judges, with seven or more years of higher education, have given up far more lucrative opportunities that go along with careers in the legal profession.
New York’s judicial salaries are among the lowest in the nation. The state’s judges have had only two salary increases in the last 20 years, the last one eight years ago. Since then, the cost-of-living has risen by 26 percent.
Why it Matters for New York:
For the low-earners of the legal profession, living in New York City has become a daunting challenge. Many judges, who went to law school with the dream of serving the public from the bench and rejected opportunities to follow the money, now question that decision.
Every day judges throughout the state accept the profound responsibilities of deciding who is imprisoned and who goes free, deciding when a feeding tube should be discontinued, and deciding who should have custody of a child. Such work is essential to a democratic, civilized society.
The risk the public and the judiciary face is that only lawyers with independent wealth will become judges, causing severe damage to diversity and to a bench that reflects the community.
I want our judges well-paid and happy, not worrying how they’ll pay their children’s college tuition.
From: Gary E. Rosenberg (personal injury and accident attorney and lawyer; serving Brooklyn Queens Bronx)
