NY Judges transitioning to private practice due to budget limitations

July 14, 2011

New York With the New York State Court's budget facing another year of cuts, many of New York's judges are opting to leave the bench and return to higher paying private practice positions. New York Judges are facing their 12^th year without even a cost of living wage, and their salaries are currently ranked 46^th in the nation according to the National Center for State Courts. Recent studies have shown that this drop in pay has resulted in more judges leaving the bench, with "nearly 1 in 10 judges" leaving every year. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman worries not only about losing judges but finding replacements. He told the press, “Why would a talented lawyer want to join an institution that hasn’t had even a cost of living increase in 12 years?” With the courts needing to reduce their budget by $170 million in the next year, the likelihood of this trend changing is low.

See also

• New York judicial news
• New York courts trim costs