The 11-year wait for a raise in judicial pay is taking its toll on the bench. Three of 16 Supreme Court vacancies in the metropolitan area this year are directly attributable to legislative inaction on approving a pay hike for judges.
Justice Robert A. Spolzino of the Appellate Division, Second Department, and Justices Joseph P. Spinola and Donald R. Blydenburgh, both of whom sat in the Tenth Judicial District covering Long Island, have cited the lack of a salary increase as their reason for leaving the bench.
