New York Gov. George E. Pataki on Friday introduced a judicial pay raise bill that would increase the salaries of trial court judges by 18.6 percent while granting appellate judges raises averaging 16.9 percent.
The bill is similar to one advanced by the judiciary and approved by key committees in both houses of the Legislature, with two critical differences. In the governor’s bill, there is no indexing provision to ensure that judges receive regular cost-of-living increases. Additionally, Pataki’s measure would boost the salaries of trial court judges by a flat 18.6 percent rather than the varying percentages suggested by the judiciary in an effort to equalize the salaries of judges serving on the same level of court in different counties.
