NCJ Number
94736
Journal
Court Review Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1984) Pages: 5-10
Date Published
1984
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article considers judges' frustration with their salaries.
Abstract
In New York, for example, 350 judges traveled by bus to the State legislature in Albany to air their grievances, and in Illinois, judges are suing their State over a reduction in pension benefits. Lawsuits are not their only strategy. About 350 Federal judges, close to half of the Federal bench, formed the Federal Judges' Association. Other judges' groups are lobbying bar associations and legislatures to prove that they are underpaid. Judges claim that inflation has eroded their salaries while those in other occupations have kept pace with rising costs. The salaries of judges are generally comparable to those earned by associates at large law firms, with Federal judges making from $74,100 per year (district judges) to $96,700 per year (associate justices of the Supreme Court). State judgeships are less lucrative, with average salaries ranging from $54,100 to $60,232 annually. However, interstate variations are wide; a State trial judge in Indiana earns an average of $41,057, while his counterpart in Alaska earns an average of $80,700 yearly. Many judges are considering resigning their judgeships, and already, some judges see a deterioration in the quality of the Nation's courts.