Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s three appointees to a judicial pay commission are dissenting from a majority recommendation that would raise the salaries of state Supreme Court justices to match those of federal district judges.
Commission chairwoman Sheila Birnbaum, a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, had said in the report sent to legislative leaders, the chief judge and the governor Thursday that its recommendations would mean “equitable, appropriate and competitive” judicial salaries that entice talented judicial candidates on the bench. The commission voted 4-3 on Dec. 14 to adopt the recommendations.
