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| Home Front: Politix |
| Underpaid Federal Judges Want Pay Raise |
| 2006-04-10 |
| Real Life imitates the Onion, Part 345 A job for life, generous bennies, the pick of tee times, and compliments from every lawyer in town can't make up for the reality of "low" pay on the federal bench. Making between $149,132 and $208,100 (on par with the vice president and House speaker) just doesn't cut it anymore for the black-robed class. So much for equality between the three branches of our government.... Listen to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. "We are patronized when we meet judges from England, the European Union, or Malaysia, whose salaries double that of ours," he tells a House subcommittee. "They say, 'We're so sorry about your salaries.' You shouldn't put us in that position." How dare we peasants keep him in such poverty!! Of course, I'm sure they are comparing their gross salaries, not their net salaries.... His dramatic complaints reveal that judicial pay has gone from a whine to a serious issue that Chief Justice John Roberts plans to raise with Congress. "The failure of the Congress to address the problem of judicial salary is assuming the proportion of a historic wrong," says Kennedy. Yeah, right up there with separate-but-equal and Kelo. Court reps say law school students shun the bench, judicial morale is low, and many are fleeing to wealthy firms. Kennedy says his law clerks win signing bonuses equal to his $199,200 salary when they leave, and the federal bench's top class-action judge quit because he didn't get a cost-of-living adjustment. The resulting higher workload even has older judges off the links and in the court full time. Horrors! What inhumanity!! "They don't have to do that," says Kennedy. "They don't have to work at all." The rest of us have to wait until we retire to not work at all, your Highness. Sorry for the confusion as to appropriate judicial duties..... |
| Posted by:Desert Blondie |
| #10 "The failure of the Congress to address the problem of judicial salary is assuming the proportion of a historic wrong," says Kennedy. You just missed another historic opportunity to STFU, “Justice” Kennedy. Your ruling on Kelo v. New London was an act of treason. Come the glorious day... |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2006-04-10 18:21 |
| #9 I'd also nominate any of my fine Rantburgian friends to the bench. Any one of us would make a better judge than Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg et. al. |
| Posted by: BA 2006-04-10 15:48 |
| #8 lol, CF! What does (on an annual basis) McCain's proposal of $50/hour come to? I'd sign up in a heartbeat, especially if he paid me under the table in cash a'la the amigos. Calculator says that's a TRUE $104,000/year, with NO withholdings! Sign me up! So much for the whole "Americans won't do this work" argument! |
| Posted by: BA 2006-04-10 15:47 |
| #7 Does this mean that 'americans dont want the job' of being a Fed. Judge? Better hire some illegal aliens then..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-04-10 14:38 |
| #6 Sea, I agree. These guys leave a LOT of money on the table when they go on the bench, if they're any good. And I hope they are. And I'm willing to pay for it. Except for Anthony "Whiner" Kennedy. Patronized? My ass. I'll bet no one ever patronized Oliver Wendell Holmes, or Harry Black (HWNAL) or, name your own favorite SC justice. Criminee, he's a justice on the greatest court in the world and he feels patronized?! What a wimp. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-10 14:32 |
| #5 Why don't we just confirm the ones we've already hired, so they can judge? Since they're salaried, they don't get overtime, so my proposal would amount to a pay increase for actual work done, right? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-04-10 13:42 |
| #4 they should make less than the President, VP and all legislators, none of which has a lifetime appointment. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-04-10 13:32 |
| #3 So f*cking quit! I'll take the job for that kind of money. |
| Posted by: Bigjim-ky 2006-04-10 12:30 |
| #2 I am of the opinion that we *ought* to pay our judges more. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-04-10 12:09 |
| #1 A Kennedy who dislikes patronization? Quite unique I'd say. You don't like being a wage earner in the top 3% of all Americans? then find other work you sniveling, whining puke. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-04-10 12:07 |