New York Judges May Get Pay Raises Soon

The New York Law Journal (NYLJ) reported that 1, 300 New York judges could finally see their paychecks increase with the creation of a commission to recommend new salary levels. Reports revealed that the plan, approved by lawmakers, calls for a seven-member commission to be created every four years, beginning in April 2011. Within five months, the commission would then recommend salary adjustments to cover the following four years. The soonest that current judges would see their pay actually increase would be April 2012.

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York State Court of Appeals expressed his excitement over the legislation. He said that he and his colleagues have been lobbying hard for this to happen. The last raise was recorded in 1999, almost a dozen years ago. However, Lippman stated that he still has hesitation over the approval of the proposal. “Given the current shaky economy and perilous state of New York’s budget, the pay change procedure is a miracle.” Lippman also stressed the state legislators should separate the pay question from politics as much as possible. “This takes judicial pay out of the realm of politics where it does not belong.”

NYLJ also mentioned that the New York state trial judges earn roughly $136,700 per year, which is about $40,000 less than their counterparts in the federal judiciary and junior associates at many top Am Law 100 firms.