Chief Judge Kaye yesterday held a press conference yesterday to express her disgust with the Legislature’s failure to approve a pay raise for New York’s judiciary.  Pay raises for public officials is never a popular topic and often met with skepticism.  This instance is different — there hasn’t been a pay raise since 1999.

A lot of attorneys joke about the "easy" jobs judges have, and likely some of the public has a similar opinion.  Having clerked for a New York court and speaking with friends who have clerked for trial court Judges, Appellate Division Justices, and Court of Appeals Judges, nothing can be further from the truth.  The Court are deluged with work.  Frequently, Justices and Judges’ hours match or beat the long hours that law firm attorneys put in.  One raise in 8 years doesn’t seem to be asking too much.

See this article, this article, and this article  in the New York Law Journal, and this article in the New York Times about Chief Judge Kaye’s position.