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Contact: Andrew Rush
Director, Media Services & Public Affairs
arush@nysba.org
518/487-5530
March 31, 2008
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR END TO STALEMATE ON
JUDICIAL PAY
President-Elect Bernice Leber
Says Government Leaders Have Failed NY Judges
At a press conference held today at the New York State
Bar Association’s Bar Center in Albany, Association
President-Elect Bernice K. Leber of Manhattan(Arent
Fox LLP) called on the Governor and Legislators to include a long
overdue pay raise for judges as part of the final State
Budget.
Noting that this is the second press conference in
less than a year to be held at the Bar Center on this issue, Leber said,
“As we approach another Budget deadline, two branches of our
government once again have refused to provide proper compensation for
the third branch. The Governor, the Senate and the Assembly all agree
that our judges deserve and need a raise, but they have failed to
act. We understand the need to close the state’s looming
deficit and we understand the desire of the Legislature to have a raise
for themselves. However, we have an obligation to the judiciary and
must act to provide them with the long-awaited salary increase they
deserve.”
Leber called for a raise immediately and also for the
creation of an independent commission that would review judicial
compensation every four years. New York’s judges have not had an a
raise since 1999 and according to the New York State Unified Court
System, New York State judges’ salaries rank 49th in the nation
when adjusted for cost of living.
The press conference was called by Chief Judge Judith
S. Kaye and brought together a wide range of groups who are calling for
a judicial pay raise. Those in attendance included judicial
associations, good government groups, business groups and civic
organizations.
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