4/12/13

Michigan Lawyers Weekly > Print > Judicial pay increases come closer to reality after 11 years

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Judicialpayincreasescomeclosertorealityafter11years
byGaryGosselin Published:April12th,2013 LANSINGJudicialpayraisesof3percent for2015and3percentfor2016were discussedatlengthbytheStateOfficers CompensationCommission,andshouldresult inarecommendationtothestateLegislature beforesummer. RaiseshavetobefortheMichiganSupreme CourtJustices,becauseallotherjudicialpay ratesinMichiganarelinkedtothoseincreases andalsowouldreceive3percent.About600 judgeswouldbeaffected. Anyincreasehastobeapprovedconcurrent resolutionadoptedbyamajorityineach house.

Ourjobonthecommissionistotrytobe certainthatthecompensationofourhighest electedofficialsisconsistentwithmultiple benchmarks,saidCommissionerDavidFink,aBloomfieldHillsattorney.Welooktootherstates, welookwithinthestateandhistoricalbenchmarks,andbyallmeasures,araiseforourjudgesis seriouslyoverdue. Finksaidwiththerateofinflation,costoflivinghasincreasednearly30percentsincethelastraise, notingthatnonelectedstateemployeeswhoserveinthepostofadministrativelawjudgeor hearingofficerhaveseenincreasesofmorethan23percent. Duringdiscussions,allsevencommissionersmadestatementspositivelyacknowledgingthatitis probablytimefortheraises. SOCCChairmanLarryMeyer,formerpresidentoftheMichiganRetailersAssociation,saidthings havechangedsincethelastrequest. Theeconomicrealitiesaredifferentthantwoyearsago,butithadmeritlasttimeandthereseems tobemeritthistimetoo,saidMeyer,whoalsoservesaschairoftheBoardofTrusteesatLansing CommunityCollege. StateCourtAdministratorChadSchmuckeraddressedthepanel.Heremindedthemthatin2011, theSOCCrecommended3percentincreasesin2013and2014,buttheSupremeCourt,theState BarofMichiganandallthreejudicialassociationssaid,Thanks,butnothanks. Schmuckercitedthepooreconomyatthetimeforthenonsupportoftheraises,butnotedalothas changedsincethen. Hecitedthejudicialreductionlegislationtoeliminate36judgeships,whichhassaved$1.6million annuallyandwillsave$6.4millionwhenthecutsarecomplete. Thecutsareunprecedented,Schmuckersaid,notingnootherstatehascutitstrialbenchbymore thanoneortwo. Courtsareconsolidating,too,hesaid,oftenwithcircuit,probateanddistrictcourtssharinga buildingandstaffanddistributingcaseloadevenlyamongalljudges.
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RecentdiscussionsbytheStateOfficers CompensationCommissiononjudicialpayraises shouldresultinarecommendationtothestate Legislaturebeforesummer.(PhotobyMark Bialek/markbialek.com)

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Michigan Lawyers Weekly > Print > Judicial pay increases come closer to reality after 11 years

Anotherchangewastheappointmentof34chiefjudgestooverseemorethanonecourt,with decisionsmadetoaddresstheneedsoftheentirecircuitratherthanthoseofanindividualcourt. Schmuckeralsodiscussedthe170problemsolvingcourts(drugcourts,veteranscourts,etc.)and therelativelynewpracticeofaperformancemeasurementprogramtohelpincreaseefficiencyin thecourts. Itllbe13yearssincethelastraiseandmostpeoplethinkthatsenough,Schmuckertold MichiganLawyersWeekly.TheLegislaturehascertainlyapprovedraisesforotherstateemployees overtheyears,anditdoesntseemunreasonableafterallthistime. Imguardedlyoptimistic.Thecostof3percentisabout$2.5millionayear,sointhecontextofthe statebudget,itisntoverwhelming. TheBarsentalettertothecommissioners,citingtherestructuring,specialtycourts,costcutting, andimprovingservices. Wehavelongsupportedsignificantincreaseinjudicialcompensationthatrecognizesthework underwayandbeginstomakeupforthelostearningcapacityfrommorethanadecadeofsalary stagnation,theletterexplains,inpart.TherequestoftheStateCourtAdministratorfora3% increaseintwoconsecutiveyearsisconsistentwithourposition. Eveninthedepthsofrecession,stateemployeeswerestillgettingraises,Finksaidtothepanel, andhavebettedabout25percentsince2002.Withthatinmind,hesuggestedthepaneldiscuss thepossibilityofrecommending6percentin2015and6percentin2016. HeexplainedthattheLegislaturedoesnthavetofollowtherecommendationandcanapprove somethingless,butitcannotincreasethepercentageabovewhatisrecommended. JudgeJohnGillisof3rdCircuitCourtinDetroitsaidraisesarewayoverdue,andthatifjudgeshad gottenthesamepercentageofraisesasstateemployees,thepayforcircuitandprobatejudges wouldbearound$172,000,ratherthanthecurrent$139,919. Wesuggestedtheydonothing[in2011]becauseofthestatebudgetatthetime.Thingsaremuch betternow,theeconomicsaremuchdifferentandthesearenteffectiveuntil2015.Thats13 yearssincethelastraisein2002,Gillissaid. Gillissaidheexpectsa3percentto5percentrecommendationfor2015and2016,notingMichigan istheonlystatewherethejudiciaryhasnthadaraisesince2002. HesaidIllinoiscircuitcourtjudgesearn$180,802NewYorkisat$160,000Pennsylvaniatrial courtjudgesearn$169,541andfederaldistrictjudges,whousedtomakethesameasMichigans judges,nowearn$174,000. JudgeWilliamJ.Richardsofthe46thDistrictCourtinSouthfieldsaidhehassomemisgivingsabout receivingraises,andworriesaboutalimitedpoolofmoney. Myconcernis,atwhatcostdoesapayraisetojudgescome?Richardsasked.Dolegislatorssay, Fineyoucanhaveit,butyourbudgetstaysthesameaslastyear?Andifyouhavetocut,you havetocutpeopleorsalariesorbenefits. ThemoredifficultdecisionistheonetheLegislaturehastheyredealingwithapiethatsonlyso bigandtheSOCCisdiligent,buttheydonthavetobalanceabudgetanddonthavetodecide betweencompetingrequestsfordollars.Theresundoubtedlyalotofgoodcompetingprograms,and everybodywantsmoremoneyforprogramsandfortheirpeopleitistoughdecisionstheyhaveto make. HenotedthereisahiringfreezeinSouthfield,policeforceisshrinking,andpropertytaxincomehas yettoreboundtohelpfundmunicipalities. Ourcourtstaffsarentgettingraiseseither,andgiveabumptothehighestpaidImstill uncomfortabletakingcareofthejudgesandnotthestaff,Richardssaid. Thecommissionstaffisgoingtoattempttogetrepresentativesofbothpartiesfrombothhousesto
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Michigan Lawyers Weekly > Print > Judicial pay increases come closer to reality after 11 years

thenextmeetingsoSOCCmemberscanexplainthethoughtprocessesbehindwhateverdecision theymakeandgetfeedbackaboutthepossibilityofpassage. Itsexpectedthatthenextmeetingwillbescheduledwiththreetofourweeks. ThepayraiserecommendationprocesswasthattheSOCCwouldpassaproposal,andunlessa supermajorityofbothhousesvoteditdown,thepayincreasewouldbecomeeffective But,in2000therewasaproposalfromtheSOCCfora38percentincreaseinpayforlegislators. TheHousevotedtostoptheincreaseandtheSenatevotedjustshortoftwothirds,andthe increaseswentintoeffect. Apoliticalstormensued. Aconstitutionalamendmentin2002calledforthecurrentsystem,butenablinglegislationwas delayeduntilJan.1,2008.Becauseofthedelay,thecommissioncouldntvoteintheyearsitmet in2002,2004and2006. Ifyouwouldliketocommentonthisstory,callGaryGosselinat(248)8653103oremail gary.gosselin@mi.lawyersweekly.com.

Judicialsalarybreakdown
SupremeCourt:$164,610 CourtofAppeals:$151,441 CircuitandProbate:$139,919 District:$138,272

Statesalaries
Governor:$159,300 Lt.Governor:$111,510 Legislator:$71,685 AttorneyGeneral:$112,410 SecretaryofState:$112,410

Top10U.S.trialcourtsalaries2012
(Michiganistheninthmostpopulousstate) Illinois:$180,802 California:$178,789 Delaware:$178,449 Alaska:$177,888 Washington,D.C.:$174,000 Pennsylvania:$169,541 NewJersey:$165,000
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Michigan Lawyers Weekly > Print > Judicial pay increases come closer to reality after 11 years

NewYork:$160,000 Nevada:$160,000 Virginia:$158,134 Source:NationalCenterforStateCourts

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