Chief Justice Roberts Says Congress Should Give Judges Same Inflation-Related Pay Hike It Is Getting

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday that Congress should be as generous to judges as it already has been to itself, by approving an inflation-related increase in their pay.

"I must renew the judiciary's modest petition: Simply provide cost-of-living increases that have been unfairly denied," Roberts said in his annual year-end report on the federal judiciary.

Alone among federal employees, judges will not receive a cost-of-living allowance in 2009. Members of Congress are getting a 2.8 percent boost, worth $4,700. But they refused before Christmas to give an identical increase to judges.

Federal trial judges are paid $169,300 a year. Appellate judges make more, ranging up to Roberts' salary of $217,400. The salaries pale in comparison to what top lawyers earn in private practice.

Roberts also has pointed out that the 678 full-time trial judges who form the backbone of the federal judiciary are paid about half that of deans and senior law professors at top schools.

But the job has its advantages: Judges have lifetime job security and can retire at full salary at age 65 if they have 15 years on the bench.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/1...

[pocoloco]

1. Wah! Wah! Wah!

They are lucky they don't get payed what they are worth!

[elleng]

8. We'd hardly be able to afford it,

if they were paid 'what they're worth.' These are Federal judges, who handle serious cases usually very well, and they sit before clients represented by lawyers making MUCH MORE.

Roberts is RIGHT on this, like it or not.

[GOPNotForMe]

9. I totally agree with you! nt

[elleng]

29. Thanks, GOPNot;

MANY here failed to notice that Roberts was supporting a petition seeking increases for ALL members of the Federal Judiciary; thats part of his job.

[tabasco]

19. Yeah, Clarence Thomas and Scalia are fucking geniuses.

There is great honor accorded a Supreme Court justice and we expect people in highest office to have a desire to serve.

It's not private practice and if they don't like the pay, fuck the fuck off.

They get paid a lot, get excellent benefits for LIFE, and should STFU about their poor lifestyle while the rest of the country is in near depression.

Plus, fuck Roberts. He's an asshole that doesn't belong there too.

[elleng]

20. Such language;

thanks a lot NOT

[Occulus]

34. nice profile n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Anyone who can't live well on $169,000 per year needs to be in another lne of work

[BklnDem75]

36. That's unfortunate.

Perhaps they should resign and get back into private practice. Their positions are life long only if they want them to be. Doesn't mean they have to stay.

[bemildred]

2. He ought to return to private practice.

I'm sure he could do better there.

[brentspeak]

3. Somehow, I doubt Roberts supported cost-of-living increases for the average working person

back when he was representing Big Corporations as a "top" lawyer in private practice. He'll just have to do with his piddling $200+ grand/year plus benefits.

[tularetom]

4. I think his pay should be adjusted by the same percentage average American workers

experienced during the 8 years of the administration that seated this fucking crybaby on the bench in the first place. Up or down.

[Lasher]

41. Then he should be getting 1% less than a SCOTUS justice got in 2000, adjusted for inflation.

http://kelsocartography.com/blog/?p=1320

[SOS]

59. Real household income -1%

Reduce their salaries by one per cent, just like the rest of us.
These Washington and Wall Street people are living in a fantasy bubble.
They should leave their f#cking Georgetown mansions for once and take a look around.

Pretty soon there will be a crowd with torches and pitchforks outside those mansions and these idiots will ask the perennial question - "Why do they hate us"?

[DissedByBush]

51. They are government workers

The rest of the government workers got a 3.9% pay raise for 2009. But government workers have a union to fight for that. Judges don't.

[sandnsea]

5. And people starving on minimum wage...

who in Washington D.C. is fighting for them?

[customerserviceguy]

6. Let's look at the other side of this

why did Congress vote itself a pay raise while many average Americans aren't getting them, if they are lucky enough to have a job at all? I just took a part-time job, because my full time employer was closing the doors. Today would have been my last day with them, I feel for all my former co-workers who couldn't find a lifeboat from that sinking ship.

And my Congressman feels that he can't make it on $165,200?

[LiberalFighter]

7. He doesn't even work as much as the legislators!! Screw him!

[undeterred]

10. Chief Justice Roberts can bite me.

[L0oniX]

11. Fucking thieves n/t

[psychmommy]

12. i am a state employee,

the state is proposing a 1.5% pay raise, while they raise our percentage of income taken out for pension payments and we will pay more into our medical/dental, with an increase in our co-pays for dr visits and prescription. while these concessions don't seem unreasonable-they will result in a paycut for us. so as everything goes up our pay goes down. so why should judges who are well taken care of get blessed with col adjustments or congress for that matter. everyone should feel a little of this pain. no col's for these fools. i know i am blessed that i have this job but so are they. eat it judges!

[DissedByBush]

13. Judges give up pay to be in the position

Roberts was head of a huge prestigious law firm's appellate division and probably made at least ten times what he makes now. I'm sure most other federal judges could at least triple their pay if they went private.

In other words, they don't do it for the money. But it's insulting not to at least give them cost of living adjustments.

[skyounkin]

15. Us first!

He can cry in his damm diaper.

And Please!! It's not like this scumbag is hurting now. He had money before he got the Cheif position and he still has it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. $169,000 a year?!?!

They don't need COL raises, they need help learning how to budget if they can't survive on a salary that high. Sorry but this underpaid teacher has no sympathy.

[DissedByBush]

37. Can you go into private practice and easily triple your salary?

They can. This is the same problem the Army has with attracting quality doctors. They can't pay a doctor the $200,000 he might get in private practice, but they do try to make it palatable with doctor bonuses and yearly pay raises.

For you imagine being a tenured college professor at a major university. Then you decide to teach grade school. You know it's going to be a lot less money, but you at least hope you'll get the same raises all the other state employees are getting. Not to get the raises is insulting given how much you already gave up in order to make a difference.

And thanks for being a teacher.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. Actiually public school teachers earn more than most university professors

But they become professors because it is an honor. So a professor teaching elementary school would be most likely getting a raise in pay.

These judges have reached the top of their professions. It is an honor to be named a judge. And they are very well paid.

[UTUSN]

14. All him & DRUG ADDICT Rehnquist cared about were PAY RAISES!1 N/T

[Hawkeye-X]

16. Fuck you, Illegal Chief Roberts.

First, you resign.. then we'll talk raises.

In the meantime, ESAD.

[madrchsod]

17. 217,000 dollars?...that`s not worth it in terms of wages

i guess it is the prestige and power that is the reward....

[Dr.Phool]

18. Like they used to tell us when we wanted a raise.

"If you don't like your job, quit.

You shoulda worked on Wall Street, Johnnie.

[tabasco]

21. The dumb fucks ignored the law and gave us Bush for eight years.

Maybe if the majority of the court hits the books and learns some more about the fucking law, we;ll give them a raise. Until then, they can STFU.

[williesgirl]

22. We're in a fucking depression - none of them deserve raises now.

[cstanleytech]

23. What? Is he going to resign if he doesnt get his own way from pouting? Woohoo

[aquart]

28. Now there's an interesting thought.

What indignity could possibly cause him to take a principled stand?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

24. Its time to downsize or offshore some of the Supreme Court and US Congress

as the workforce loses jobs, so shall the congress and other branches of govt.

We could save tons of money by offshoring some of their jobs, just like ours.

[shadowknows69]

43. Best.Idea.Yet.

[nolabels]

25. It's a free market

Resign and find a job working for the private sector is an option

[Omaha Steve]

30. Chief Justice John Roberts could resign

Or perhaps form a union. Tie Congress and Judge raises to the minimum wage increase. The minimum don't go up, theirs doesn't either!

[Duer 157099]

31. Mother fucking mother fuckers

Totally out of fucking touch with the rest of America.

Fucking assholes.

That's right, Congress, I'm looking at YOU!! All of YOU!!

Fuckers.

[shadowknows69]

32. How about none of you should get a fucking cent

You should get paid room and board only until you get us out of this cluster fuck you put us in.

[defendandprotect]

33. Let's get the Minimum Wage and Single Payer Health Care . . .

tied to Congressional salaries and benefits ---

good line of questioning for all politicians --

[The Second Stone]

35. How about a multiple of minimum wage?

If minimum wage is workable for Americans, then how about assuming 2000 hours a year times the minimum wage, or whatever the Judges are paid now, whichever is more (because the constitution says that you cannot lower the wages of Judges). Multiply that by 2 for four years of college and again by 2 for three years of law school. If that isn't enough money (and it would be for me) go back to selling your soul to private corporations and leave the judging to the civic minded. I don't see why we need any kind of competition with the private sector here. We do not want to attract private sector people, but civic minded people.

[RCinBrooklyn]

38. Roberts' wife makes more than enough to keep him in Porsche's & Furs.

[ooglymoogly]

40. Too bad you fuk'n evil fools. The bastard you installed as president

has already made off with all the loot and put our grandchildren into debt for a gazillion years. We should be talking about fining your horses ass instead of raising your already exorbitant pay check. If you can make more more money in the private section, don't let the door hit you on the way out. If there is any justice half of you will be in prison making license plates and making the whole subject divinely mute.

[ooglymoogly]

58. that's moot

that's what happens when you use spell checker and don't watch closely the suggested correction.

[lonestarnot]

42. What your unitary executive didn't steal enough to give you a raise asshat?

[Vinca]

44. I thought we were bordering on deflation. Maybe we should take some money back. nt

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

45. is it too much to hope that he'll quit if he doesn't get a raise???

One can dream....

[eilen]

46. I find it compelling that he is complaining of judge's salaries

rather than their law clerks who actually do the research and well, the work.

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

52. well he is a bush appointee--- they don't care about the little guys

[mitchum]

47. It's called public SERVICE, you asshole in a robe

[2Design]

48. i he wants more money go somewhere else - he is not wanted anyway n/t

[tinymontgomery]

49. Has roberts done anything except complain

about his pay since he took the bench?

[Igel]

54. In this case, he's doing his job.

As he's supposed to.

He's not just chief justice of the SCOTUS. He's chief justice of the *entire* federal judiciary. That 9th circuit that tends to go liberal much of the time? He's in charge of defending its interests. The more conservative 3rd circuit? Yep, that, too. The local federal judge that's in your town? Robert's is chief justice for him, too, as well as for the judges that Fitzpatrick brought both the Blagojevich and the CIA/Plame cases before.

They haven't gotten a raise for a while. His job is going to bat for them; he did so last year, and he did so this year--in the appendix to his year-end report. Just as many workers have unions, and professionals have professional organizations, all of which go to bat for them; just as industrial workers have OSHA (at least in principle); so the federal judiciary has the chief justice.

Many of them have no less work than SCOTUS, but get less money. I figure people here want the entire federal judiciary to resign because they're incompetent--the ones that released the 5 GITMO guys a month or two back? Eh, let them quit. We don't need them. The ones that hear civil rights cases? They can quit, too. We don't need no frickin' judges, since, well, we just *love* things as they are.

That's what people are saying, whether they realize it or not. That whole checks-and-balances thing is only for when we're not in charge.

[PuppyBismark]

50. If we want good judges, they need to be well paid.

Roberts is asking that all federal judges get a raise, not just the SCOTUS. If we are to attract the best law minds in the country, they need to be paid well. With Obama in the WH and the Dems in congress, Obama has an opportunity to make substantial number of judgeship appointment to all the federal courts. This just makes sense. Given the judges that * has put in there, we need to quickly balance the scale.

If there is a great legal mind out there with a progressive philosophy I would not like him/her to refuse the appointment because of salary.

It is time to start thinking in terms of our future government and not the past. This just makes good sense and should be approved.

[GinaMaria]

53. That's the difference between private and public service

If you want to be Chief Justice, you knew the pay going in. Don't like it? Quit and get a higher paying job. Most of us don't get cost of living increases. If he's hoping to get tax payer support for this, this tax payer would gladly trade salaries with him without a single complaint. No support from me, when we're all tightening our belts to ride out the current economic situation. He's able to survive on his salary. Ask for a raise when we American taxpayers aren't facing rising unemployment and the threat of depression. Would you ask your employer for a raise if the company was facing bankruptcy?

[Igel]

55. Want the entire federal judiciary to quit?

Or maybe everybody that *can* get a higher paying job--say, in your local federal courthouse--should.

Personally, keeping somebody at the same pay grade while everybody else around them gets pay increases ... it's an insult.

My response: Whoever allowed the Congressional pay-raises to go through should be immediately fired and the payraises for this year rolled back. But, alas, it's not an election year, so the most important principle in Congress doesn't come into play--getting reelected and retaining power.

[Joe Steel]

56. Not a bad idea.

The Bush regime loaded the federal judiciary with rightwing ideologues. Making them quit would be a great idea. Then Obama could appoint good judges.

[GinaMaria]

57. That 'insult ' happens all the time

People get higher raises or promotions before others in the work place all the time. Just because one group was able to raise their salaries is not a reason for others to especially in this climate. Let 'em quit. If they aren't there to deliver a public service and accept the pay that goes with that, they can go. They can be replaced by people who really want to do this work and place the role above a private sector pay scale. This isn't for everybody. Working for a non-profit isn't for everybody either. In both situations you know the salary score when you go in. Don't like it? Look for work else where. Most of us are happy to have jobs right now. Their timing couldn't be worse for empathy. Though this isn't a group that cares much about public perception.