According to the lobbyist who has been fighting for better judicial pay, state judges in New York sometimes makes less money than first-year associates at law firms.
“These attorneys straight out of law school are making more money than them… this has to be a very demoralizing position,” said Steve Kahn, a lawyer who works for the New York State Judicial Association, representing 1,500 judges in the state Supreme Court system.
His organization said state judges in New York make an average salary of $174,000. According to the association, xxxxx
The average state judge makes less money than a SUNY Buffalo Law professor. A judge toils day in and day out with people’s lives on the line, but a teacher dealing with kids earns more. Our judicial system is in peril.
Judges from the District level, all the way up to the Supreme are severely underpaid for their work. In the state of New York, the average Supreme Court Judge makes $174,000 a year. This number has not changed since 1999 even with the rise of costs of living rising each and every year. Since the last pay raise went into effect, judges have lost over one full year of salary to inflation.
New York state judges are the lowest paid in the country (on the cost of living basis), even though the cost of living in New York is much higher than states like Ohio.
Steve Cohn is the current practicing lawyer who spoke in front of the Court of Appeals in Albany last summer to try and get these pay raises put in effect. Mr. Cohn feels that judges are not getting treated fairly and is fighting for their rights. In an interview he said: “These attorneys straight out of law school are making more money than them… this has to be a very demoralizing position.” Mr. Cohn believes he is the voice for the judges since many are afraid that if they speak out they may lose their jobs: “Most don’t think its judicial and are afraid for their futures”.
Mr. Cohn is fighting for an average salary of $192,500 (a $20,000 increase) which adjusts for the cost of living and inflation.
The inequality in this system is quite visible. A new wet behind the ears lawyer makes more than a judge that has been working for over a decade. In a democracy a working judicial system is extremely important. Judges need to have their minds completely set on their work so that they don’t incarcerate an innocent man or take away a rightful man’s home.
According to a presentation to the New York State Compensation Commision compiled by the Coalition of New York state Judicial Association, this is getting near impossible. Many people are choosing not to become judges due to the financial risks and therefore the already serving judges are receiving more and more cases. The judges already serving have their hands full but they just keep receiving more and more cases. The average amount of Trial Court Filings have increased by over a million since 1999 but the amount of judges serving have barely increased by 100. This obviously has to affect the way a judge works.
Most judges are struggling to make ends meet for their families. Many have to work two to three jobs just to make ends meet. Some get creative with this decision; Judge Alan Hanroff of Nassau County became a boat captain. Others have petitioned to become stand up comics and teachers. New York state judges have to follow a very strict set of guidelines, in order for any judge to moonlight as another profession they have to sit in with the New York State Ethics commission.
According to Mr. Cohn, the NYSEC is notoriously biased in not letting judges do other things, because it may distract from their duties.
Justice Charles J. Thomas left the bench at the New York State Supreme Court left the bench this year. He felt he “wasn’t being treated fairly and his rights were being infringed upon”. Hon. Thomas left the bench after 28 years and feels that the system has become purely corrupt. According to Hon. Thomas many justices have left, and feel that a $20,000 a year increases is more than fair.
Hon. Thomas along with many others believes the raise will not come, because the New York State Assembly is trying to tie a pay raise for themselves in with the judges. According to the numbers, the last three times this was taken into court the NYSA would not pass it unless they received upward of an extra $10,000 a year. Of course the representatives refused and so the bill was not passed. Hon. Thomas is very cynical about the way Albany treats the judges saying “they just don’t treat us with respect.
There is hope for the New York State Judge. With Mr. Cahn’s efforts and the work of the NYSJA over the next year judges will receive an extra $5,000 to help compensate for the low pay.
Though it isn’t exactly what they were looking for many believe it is a step in the right direction. With the costs of living getting higher and higher a permanent fix has to be enacted so that our judges don’t make a mistake we won’t soon forget.
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