Mississippi House passes judicial pay raise
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March 12, 2012
Jackson, Mississippi: The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a pay raise for judges and district attorneys on March 7, 2012. The raise will be paid with a court fee increase and will be phased in over four years.
It was discovered that the state has the lowest-paid judges in the nation. Proponents linked this to the high turnover of 21 judgeships over the last two years. Judge David Ishee, of the Court of Appeals, stated, "It causes a lot of good-quality people to leave public service. I know a lot of people in public service need raises -- I think legislators need a raise. But most others have had a raise since we have."[1] Rep. Kelvin Buck, D-Holly Springs, was opposed to the raise. He argued, "We have the lowest per capita income in the nation.… Judges are not any different than anybody else in the state.… This (fee increase) is additional money that will have to come out of the pockets of Mississippians who have to use our court system."[1]
The annual salary for the chief justice of the Supreme Court will go from $115,390 to $159,000. District attorneys will receive an almost $30k raise over the four years.[1]
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