NYT: Chief Justice (Roberts) Advocates Higher Pay for Judiciary

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made judicial pay the sole topic of his second annual report, issued on Sunday, declaring that the failure by Congress to raise federal judges’ salaries in recent years has become a “constitutional crisis” that puts the future of the federal courts in jeopardy.

He noted that judges had fallen well behind the American labor force as a whole in keeping up with inflation over the past 25 years, with judges’ pay having declined by 23.9 percent since 1969, adjusted for inflation, while the national average for all wages rose by 17.8 percent.

Given such a “dramatic erosion of judicial compensation,” the chief justice said, it was “clear that the time is ripe for our nation’s judges to receive a substantial salary increase.”

(snip)

He decided to make the subject his sole policy focus this time, he said, in the hope that “people will take notice” of a problem that “has now reached the level of a constitutional crisis that threatens to undermine the strength and independence of the federal judiciary.”

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/01/us/01scotus.html?_r=1&ref=washington&oref=slogin

[Erika]

1. You can tell he's GOP. Money to the elite

The rest of us are socialist slugs on the federal teat and we should be damned..

[Skittles]

4. YES

and in the private sector a minimum wage hike would DESTROY BUSINESSES; of course, there is never any talk about CAPPING THE HIGHER SALARIES!!!

[saigon68]

29. Ass Wipe scary Roberts wants $$$$$$$$

[Solo_in_MD]

16. Are you aware that others including Ted Kennedy have supported this in the past?

[lumpy]

21. No, could you supply any information that Ted Kennedy

supports pay raises for judiciary? Blanket statements such as this require more specific information, otherwise it only indicates negative argument against an individual.

[Solo_in_MD]

25. Prior thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2651259

post 37

[tabasco]

30. So what? Doesn't make it right.

Are we supposed to fall down in obedience because Ted Kennedy supported something at one time? Why would you think that?

When working families are struggling, the last ones in line for a pay raise are "public servants" drawing pay of over $200,000.

Don't forget the benefits too. Free health care for life for the family. Sounds like a good deal to me, plus I would enjoy SERVING THE NATION.

[Solo_in_MD]

33. There are good arguments for a better paid judicary and yet the resistance is understandable

I do support higher pay for the reasons covered in the prior thread.

[babylonsister]

2. Sole policy focus, as if there's nothing more pressing?

His priorities are showing; good luck with that.

[Idioteque]

3. I agree with him...good lawyers could make much more in the private sector...

if we want good judges, we have to pay them well.

[eagler]

5. Then let him resign and return to the private sector.

They aren't called public servants for nothing.

[lyonn]

8. They are selected - they will lie, cheat, whatever to get to wear

those robes. Starr would probably have killed to get one of those robes.

[zann725]

6. National average wage rose by 17+%?! What a crock! Min. Wage hasn't risen for years!

If however by "pay raise," Judge Roberts means Judicial salaries should be raised equiv. TO current Min. Wage, I have no problem with that. Certainly if Min. Wage is "good enough" for
We-the-People (who pay Judicial salaries THROUGH our taxes), it would be fair and "judicious" that a similar wage be paid to those SERVING
We-the-People from the highest apex of Justice in OUR Land.

[Xipe Totec]

9. On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand,

"Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me." Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?" And Jesus will answer them, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"

Before we worry about the salary of Supreme Court Justices, pulling $165K+, let us worry about the least of our brethren; the homeless, the destitute, the sick, the impoverished.

:thumbsup:

[lyonn]

7. Apparently he doesn't know what He and His are worth

They need to realize we are in debt heavily to gawd knows what countries and He thinks they deserve a raise??

They are getting paid to protect the Constitution and obviously they have failed, and now they want a raise?

[Bozita]

11. Yup.... Job of SCOTUS is to protect the Constitution.

They failed and he wants a pay raise?

Fuck John Roberts.

[Bozita]

10. Tell that no-good son-of-a-bitch to form a union!

He knows what "unions" are.

[w4rma]

12. If he doesn't like the pay he can quit. (nt)

[mitchum]

13. Cry me a fucking river, you black clad asshat

[Kolesar]

14. Ohio's judiciary consists of candidates who are heavily funded by big business

Big business obviously wants something in return. I would rather have the best candidates possible--candidates who are running for noble purposes. They should be well paid, too.

[bemildred]

15. I advocate higher pay for me too. nt

[Thickasabrick]

17. How many of you have jobs that are good for life....guaranteed?

No worries from downsizing, poor performance or keeping a minimal work schedule.

The gall of this man makes me want to puke.

[struggle4progress]

18. The poor little guy only makes about $212,000 a year

[Canuckistanian]

19. A "constitutional crisis", right, gotcha....

And a lying president grabbing as much un-mandated power as he can is peachy keen.

Or a Justice Department that ignores or nullifies laws written by Congress - perfectly fine, right?

[leesa]

20. It's hard work dismantling the Constitution!

[radfringe]

22. gee, why don't they form

a union and go on strike?

they they can declare the union illegal, file a lawsuit, and take the case all the way to the supreme court, where they can rule against themselves

[salin]

23. if you didn't want the job, for the pay, then you should have turned down

the nomination. There is NOTHING preventing potential judges from declining their appointments or offices (in the non fedral case where judges run). Yes there has been wage stagflation - but what is the problem for judges isn't ANYTHING compared to the wage decreases (due to inflation and increased fixed costs) for middle and lower wage earners. Not in terms of "percents" but in terms of real dollars.

Seriously - there seems to have been no shortage of rightwing demagogues willing to put their name in for judgeships in the past six years. Cry me a river.

[SKKY]

24. Yet, the military gets the smalles pay raise in 13 years...

...un-fucking-believable. You just can't make up stuff like this. Not even in fantasy.

[Sgent]

26. A different perspective

From Scotusblog

The issue, he said, "has now reached the level of a constitutional crisis." He argued that "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." After decades of "congressional inaction," he said, many judges are leaving the bench to return to private law practice -- 17 in the last two years, 38 in the past six. There will also be a decline in the quality of persons willing to accept a lifetime appointment, the Chief Justice said. The judiciary, he said, threatens to be dominated by judges who are so wealthy they can afford to be indifferent to the salary level, or people for whim a judicial salary is a pay raise.

Statistically, the Chief Justice cited three comparisons. First, he said, in 1969, federal district judges made 21 percent more than the dean at the Harvard Law School and 43 percent more than its senior law professors. Today, the judges are paid about half what the deans and senior professor at top schools are paid, he said. ("We do not even talk about comparisons with the practicing bar anymore," he said sadly, given that first-year law graduates in some cities will make more in the first year than experienced federal judges.

Second, the Chief Justice siad the average U.S. workers' wages have risen 17.8 percent in real terms (adjusted for inflation) since 1969, while federal judicial pay has declined 23.9 percent.

Third, Roberts noted a significant chance in where federal judges come from -- especially trial judges. In the 1950s, roughly 65 percent came from the practicing bar, with 35 percent from the public sector. Today, roughly 60 percent come from the public sector and less than 40 percent from private practice. That, he said, "changes the nature of the federal judiciary."

[Mrs. Ted Nancy]

31. Interesting tidbit

. . .Today, roughly 60 percent come from the public sector and less than 40 percent from private practice. That, he said, "changes the nature of the federal judiciary."

I guess he is worried that the wealthy won't get a fair shake. Those public sector lawyers who become judges have it in for the rich, ya know. Or, he is suggesting that the better judges come from elite law firms.

Either way, Roberts is a dork.

[tiptoe]

27. Roll him back to minimum wage. nt

[justice1]

28. We should give Indian judges H-1B visas, they would do it for less.

[brentspeak]

32. Wonderful. Now I know for sure Roberts is going to stink.

There was some speculation that once Roberts made it onto SCOTUS (as Chief Justice, no less), his stooge-like Federalist Society persona would be jettisoned in favor of a sane, common-sense justice. Big mistake: this idiot isn't any different than any two-bit, ex-College Republican, Federalist Society law student who can easily go to sleep at night after successfully getting a bunch of poor people kicked out of their apartment into the freezing cold.

[ckramer]

34. I need money to enlarge my dingdong too

LOL

[ckramer]

35. Let the justices wear the corporation logo on their robe in court

that way, problem solved!

[JudyM]

36. I'll give Scalia a raise as soon as he cuts out his stupid neocon-inspired Biblical quotes and

starts using the Bill of Rights in the manner it was intended.