Posted on 01/01/2007 7:26:14 AM PST by indcons
Pay for federal judges is so inadequate that it threatens to undermine the judiciary's independence, Chief Justice John Roberts says in a year-end report critical of Congress.
Issuing an eight-page message devoted exclusively to salaries, Roberts says the 678 full-time U.S. District Court judges, the backbone of the federal judiciary, are paid about half that of deans and senior law professors at top schools.
In the 1950s, 65 percent of U.S. District Court judges came from the practicing bar and 35 percent came from the public sector. Today the situation is reversed, Roberts said, with 60 percent from the public sector and less than 40 percent from private practice.
Federal district court judges are paid $165,200 annually; appeals court judges make $175,100; associate justices of the Supreme Court earn $203,000; the chief justice gets $212,100.
Thirty-eight judges have left the federal bench in the past six years and 17 in the past two years.
The issue of pay, says Roberts, "has now reached the level of a constitutional crisis."
"Inadequate compensation directly threatens the viability of life tenure, and if tenure in office is made uncertain, the strength and independence judges need to uphold the rule of law - even when it is unpopular to do so - will be seriously eroded," Roberts wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...
Reports blasts???
Never mind.....
See my post 33.
Your father sounds like a true American hero!
Here here!
Give us a raise or Gay Marriage is in your future???
You are missing or ignoring "selection bias". I'm sure there are many attorneys that would make steller judges that choose not to seek a judgeship because the pay is not high enough. The only question is whether the remaining pool of interested lawyers is large enough to get competent judges. If the answer is yes, then don't raise the pay. If the answer is no, then raise the pay. It's that simple. I think Robers is arguing that the answer is no. I have no idea if he's right or not, but your argument would always suggest that the pay for judges is sufficient, no matter what the pay is.
If they don't like it, they can always quit and get another job or write novels which Stephen King does to earn his Millions.
Actually there are plenty of places in the country where $200,000/year is only sufficient for a comfortable, safe lifestyle for a family with children if the family is availing itself of many socialist programs. Two kids in public school? That's about $40,000 a year in taxpayers' money you're soaking up right there. Don't want to send your kids to the socialist indoctrination centers (which I would hope our judges don't)? Well, you're still going to be paying $80,000+/year in income taxes (plus sales taxes, 8.75% in NYC), so from what's left you put your two kids in private school at $30,000/year each -- so after taxes and school, you've got $60,000/year left. In many major metro areas, you'd be hard-pressed to make the payments on an 80% mortgage on a modest 3 bedroom house in a safe neighborhood with $60,000/year. On what would be left of the $60,000 after reasonable expenditures for food, clothes, car, etc., you'd only be able to afford a decent home if you had wealthy parents to help. And don't forget, any of these lawyers who didn't have wealthy parents to pay their way through college and law school, had hefty student loans to pay off, and thus weren't able to save much in the first few years of their careers.
WOW! What achievements! Did you go into technology as well?
That could indicate that low judicial salaries tend to limit interest in judicial careers to those who come from independently rich backgrounds (while excluding some of the brightest young legal minds who have very little money, but are able to make hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars a year). Given the class-envy evident on this thread, is that really what most people want?
No. I'm an actuary. However, I'm working on a book on the invention of GPS. I hope to finish it by September (probably optimistic).
A really nice bonus, at the very least.
I agree but only Half that. Then they may realize that is about .01% of what they would consider a tip for a waiter at their local eatery.
Plus, the average plumber knows the solution to clogs is to ream them out, not throw more garbage down the drain - which basically is what judges do with the law.
DC needs a good Roto-Rootin'.
BUMP!
You wouldn't be studying law, would you?
Every government elevator I ever rode in was a low-bid item.
It is readily apparent that pay scale is not necessarily a reflection of competence.
Especially when the selfsame judges who are complaining that their private sector counterparts are better paid hand down decisions which allow the private sector attorneys to broker such lucrative deals as the tobacco settlement and other corporate lootings.
If the judges were to shrink the scope of Federal Power to within the constraints established by the Constitution, however, there would be ample funds to pay them better.
I wish WE had $165,000 a year to live on. But we probably never will unless we get the Publisher's Clearing House to knock on our door. I will be content on what we have and live within our means, which might help these poor people to be able to manage their small amount of money (hah!).
If money is their goal, then they belong in the private sector. What about remembering who it is that pays those salaries. You and me. All government workers, (as in a very large percent) think they aren't paid enough. I thought the same thing when I was working but the truth of the matter is there has to be a limit to wealth. You don't just get more because you could spend more if you had more. I wonder how many government servents would have chosen their jobs if they couldn't vote or demand their salaries. I guarantee you if industry ran on that premise, there wouldn't be any industry. The government is disgustingly free with my money. If they need more, they just take it. There outta be a law.
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