Monday, January 01, 2007
I'm sorry that Justice Roberts thinks that the issue of judicial compensation has "reached the level of a constitutional crisis and threatens to undermine the strength and independence of the federal judiciary," but I'm not buying it. I don't believe for a minute that "The dramatic erosion of judicial compensation will inevitably result in a decline in the quality of persons willing to accept a lifetime appointment as a federal judge," and you shouldn't either. A federal appointment is a lifetime guarantee. Hell, even a New York State Supreme Court seat-- a 14 year term-- is worth well over a million bucks. Nobody becomes a judge for the money, but the money isn't bad, the benefits are great, and the intangibles are like no other gig I can think of. Occasionally one hears about a judge leaving the bench to make more money, but it is pretty rare-- and I can't think of the last time I heard of a federal court judge who did it. There are plenty of capable lawyers to fill the bench, and to suggest otherwise is to exalt the actual abilities of the present bench to a most unseemly degree.
// posted by Bill @ 1:04 PM 
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