Last week the legislature did not address the salaries of New York State Judges. In response, I sent this letter to the editor to newspapers across the state. I am happy to report that appeared in The Buffalo News and in the Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin. As always, I am very interested in hearing what you have to say about this important issue.
October 25, 2007
Dear Editor:
Virtually no one disputes the notion that New York's judges deserve a raise, but the State Legislature has now come and gone from Albany yet again without taking any action.
The members of our state judiciary are among the outstanding pillars of our society and the failure of the Legislature to enact a judicial salary adjustment has gone on far too long, bringing us to the brink of crisis.
Since 1999, when state judges received their last raise, the salaries of the federal judiciary, judges in other states and non-judicial employees in the court system have increased to keep up with inflation, while the value of New York State judges' salaries has eroded. Today, they are near the bottom of the nation's judicial pay scale. Our judges have gone longer without a raise than any other judges in America.
A number of judges have already filed a lawsuit to force the Legislature to act. The compensation issue is a topic of conversation at virtually every gathering of the legal profession and the judiciary. Our Chief Judge, Judith Kaye, wrote recently: "Experienced judges increasingly talk of resigning so they can afford to continue to live in New York and educate their children. Outstanding lawyers for whom judicial service should be a calling see it as a sacrifice they cannot afford."
How can we expect our judges to feel valued, that their remaining on the bench is worth the sacrifices they make? How can we say that we are committed to maintaining a judiciary of the highest quality when we don't adequately compensate the talented men and women who already serve?
The current political stalemate must end now. The Legislature should reconvene as soon as practicable and put judicial salaries at the top of its agenda.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Grant Madigan
President, NY State Bar Association