Abolish Life Tenue for Increased Pay

Even though millions of Americans are out of work, federal judges - who make more than all but 5% of the entire U.S. population - feel that they are underpaid. The President of the American Bar Association, who feels that judges should be richer than all but 1% of the population, notes:

"While many Americans are struggling financially today, few of us have jobs where we are routinely skipped over for even a routine cost of living increase and get no clear guidance on what we will earn in the year ahead."

Few of us have jobs that we can't be fired from.  On top of having complete job security (which should  mean something in this job market), judges earn six figures.  

People are suffering.  There is more bleeding to come.  Yet people who call themselves public servants, and who earn a guaranteed salary of between $169,300 and $208,100 year (plus an optional $21,000 for teaching), are complaining about being underpaid?

Abolish life tenure, and I'll support a pay raise. But would judges?

Comments

[Aaron]

With a proposal like that, maybe we should appoint Michelle Rhee to reform the judicial system.

But really, in a state like Michigan, the nominally non-partisan ballot along with an incumbent designation means that all but the worst of the worst have a 99% chance of reelection, so eliminating life tenure of itself isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[Ken]

I come from California. Here, judges who suppress evidence or make rulings otherwise unpalatable to the government find that the district attorney and police unions suddenly start donating to and campaigning for their opponents. Also, a couple of elections ago a bagel shop owner who had not practiced for nearly a decade -- and who only practiced law for a few years before that -- unseated a 24-year highly respected veteran, despite being rated as unqualified by the bar. Why? Her name was simple and "American", and the veteran judge's name was Eastern European and odd.

I am a fan of lifetime judicial appointment even when I don't like a particular judge.

And I'm not too peeved at the push for federal judicial pay raises. These are supposed to be the absolute cream of the crop. Occasionally in some administrations they actually are. It's reasonable that they make more than a fourth-year associate at Skadden.