John Kerry backed increasing judges' salaries [View All]

[beachmom]

Everyone was making fun of Chief Justice Roberts for asking for higher salaries, but I found this in an article about it, that Kerry had been a co-sponsor for a bill doing exactly what Roberts wanted:

http://www.local6.com/politics/10650452/detail.html?rss=orlpn&psp=news

WASHINGTON -- Pay for federal judges is so inadequate that it threatens to undermine the judiciary's independence, Chief Justice John Roberts says in a year-end report critical of Congress.

snip

Thirty-eight judges have left the federal bench in the past six years and 17 in the past two years.

The issue of pay, says Roberts, "has now reached the level of a constitutional crisis."

"Inadequate compensation directly threatens the viability of life tenure, and if tenure in office is made uncertain, the strength and independence judges need to uphold the rule of law - even when it is unpopular to do so - will be seriously eroded," Roberts wrote.

Legislation languished in Congress in 2006 that would have provided a 16 percent increase in federal judges' salaries. The bill was introduced by Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Leahy, incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Roberts "is right that the issue of judicial compensation relations to the issue of the independence of the judiciary." Leahy said the chief justice "has tackled a touchy but timely topic that has been a chronic sticking point between the judicial and legislative branches."

I find this an interesting example of the weird world of politics. Where Kerry voted against Roberts, yet is actually an ally to him (among other Dems) in the Senate on this issue. It's also no surprise that the Republicans didn't care to make being a judge a better career choice -- government is the problem, remember. And activist judges the worst of them all.