New York State Judges Show Little Judicial Restraint when Suing for Pay Raises

Now is Not the Right Time to Raise the Pay of New York State's Judges

I'm having a hard time working up any sympathy for Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, her cohorts on New York state's highest court, or other judges in New York state who are whining because they haven't had a raise in 10 years. The lowest paid full-time city court judge in New York state still makes $108,000 per year, while Judge Judy makes $156,000.

According to an Associated Press article in The Daily Gazette on April 2, "Compensation for New York's 1,250 state-level judges now ranks 49th among states, which Kaye said is "shameful considering the enormity and complexity of their case dockets." What I think is shameful is that several judges have already sued the state of New York, meaning you and me, and Judge Judy is preparing to sue New York state if the Legislature doesn't approve judicial raises.

What is also shameful is that Bernard Nussbaum, a litigation partner in the firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and former counsel in the Clinton White House, is going to handle the lawsuit for these wealthy clients for free. Meanwhile, defendants often have to appear in courts presided over by these same judges with inadequate defense because they cannot afford a good lawyer.It's also shameful to hear judges whining about how little they make, when they make two to three times the median New York state family income. When you combine their incomes with that of their spouses, the gap between their income and the typical family's income in New York becomes a chasm. Judge Judy's individual income is almost four times more than the typical family income here in Montgomery County.

Apparently, some judges are upset because they have had to borrow money to send their kids to college. So what? Join the human race. The only difference is they are borrowing money to send their kids to Ivy League and other prestigious colleges, while the rest of us are borrowing money to send our kids to state schools and community colleges.

The important question isn't how much our judges are making in comparison to other states, or how long it has been since they have had a raise. The real question is just how much money does a person need?