December 10, 2010

STATE BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT STEPHEN P. YOUNGER COMMENDS GOVERNOR PATERSON FOR SIGNING JUDICIAL PAY COMMISSION LEGISLATION INTO LAW

Urges Swift Implementation of Commission to Enact Judicial Pay Increases 

New York State Bar Association President Stephen P. Younger of New York (Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP) commended Governor David A. Paterson for signing into law legislation to establish a commission to review and recommend appropriate adjustments to judicial compensation for New York’s judges. At a bill signing ceremony held today at the Governor’s Office in New York City, Younger also urged the swift implementation of the new commission to enact the long overdue pay increases that judges deserve.

“For more than a decade, our judges have expertly handled expanding dockets, while seeing their pay diminished due to the lack of fair and adequate pay raises,” Younger said. “Our judges have gone far too long without any adjustment in their pay. With the signing of this bill, New York will finally have a permanent mechanism that will ensure that our judiciary never again goes through a decade-long drought, without a sound way to adjust their pay. I applaud the Governor for signing this bill today, commend the Legislature for passing this landmark legislation, and thank Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the judiciary.”

Younger continued, “The creation of a judicial compensation commission is extraordinarily important to our state. For our judges, it means that they can choose a career in public service knowing that they will not have to sacrifice the support they need for their families. For New Yorkers, it means that we will be able to attract and retain a diverse and exceptional judiciary, one that is essential to ensuring the high level of justice that our citizens are entitled to expect.”  

The New York State Bar Association has long supported and advocated for the concept of judicial salaries being set by a commission rather than the Legislature and for increasing the compensation for New York's trial-court judges in order to restore them to parity with the judges of the federal district courts. The organization has repeatedly reiterated these positions.

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Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years. For more information, visit us at our Web site at www.nysba.org.