Come Clean on Court Corruption, Then You'll See a Raise

State Seeks Stay on Court-Ordered Pay Hike for Judges
The New York Law Journal by Daniel Wise - July 16, 2008

Governor David A. Paterson and the leaders of the Legislature yesterday appealed Justice Edward H. Lehner's June ruling requiring enactment of a cost-of-living raise within 90 days for the state's 1,300 judges. The notice of appeal filed in Larabee v. Governor, 112301/07, invoked a statutory stay barring the judge's June 11 order from taking effect until the appeal is decided. Thomas E. Bezanson of Chadbourne & Parke, a lawyer for the four judges who sought to force the first pay raise since 1999, said he will ask the Appellate Division, First Department, to lift the statutory stay because "a 10-year stay is enough." In his ruling, Justice Lehner (See Profile) granted summary judgment to the four judges on their claim that the executive and lawmakers had violated the separation of powers doctrine by linking a raise for judges to extraneous issues such as a raise for the legislators themselves. A salary increase reflecting the rise in the cost of living from 1999 to 2007, the four judges contend, would boost the annual salaries of Supreme Court justices to $175,264 from $136,700. - Daniel Wise