The House of Delegates passed pay increases of up to $14,500 for Maryland judges Tuesday in an 84-47 vote. The delegates were convinced they were out of time to get the Senate to agree to a smaller increase of $4,800, before an automatic $29,000 raise took effect on Thursday.
Read MoreThe Senate rejected a floor amendment to freeze judges’ salaries at current levels Monday night as the Senate cleared the way for final passage of a 3% pay raise over three years – an increase of up to $14,500 by 2016.
Democrats shot down an amendment to freeze judges’ salaries by a 33-9 vote along party lines.
Read MoreMaryland’s 284 judges are in desperate need of a raise, Court of Appeals Judge Clayton Greene Jr. told the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday. Greene testified in support of a resolution to raise all judicial salaries by $29,000 over the next four years.
Read MoreWhen adjusted for cost of living, Maryland’s judges are some of the worst paid in the nation, according to a study from the National Center for State Courts. The study, released last week, ranks trial court judges’ adjusted salaries at 43rd in the nation.
Read MoreWhile the governor and legislature this year raised what state workers and teachers pay into their pension plans and cut benefits for future employees, the state’s most generous retirement plan survived completely unscathed – the pensions for judges. The 351 retired judges (or their spouses) get an average pension of $68,000 a year, and 113 of the judges, who must retire at 70, can also earn up to a third of the annual salary by continuing to process cases around the state.
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