What's happening
This bill sets the annual salary for county, family, and surrogate court judges equal to that of Supreme Court justices at $136,700.
Why it matters
Standardizes judicial pay across key courts. By aligning the salaries of county, family, and surrogate court judges with Supreme Court justices, the bill addresses disparities that could impact recruitment, retention, and morale among judges handling similarly complex cases.
May improve fairness and judicial independence. Ensuring equal pay for judges at comparable levels could reduce perceptions of inequity or hierarchy among courts, supporting a more balanced and independent judiciary.
Could affect local budgets and state funding. Increasing salaries for these judges to match Supreme Court justices may require additional allocations from state or county budgets, potentially impacting other local services or necessitating budget adjustments.
Repeals separate salary statutes. By eliminating separate provisions governing salaries for county, family, and surrogate court judges, the bill simplifies the law and clarifies compensation rules, possibly reducing administrative confusion.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Equal Pay for All Judges
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to judiciary
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2958
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 18, 2017
Introduced by Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to salaries of county court, family court and surrogate's court judges, and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 221-b of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 630 of the laws of 1998, is amended to read as follows:
§ 221-b. Salary of justices of the supreme court and judges of the county, family and surrogate courts. The annual salary of a justice of the supreme court and each judge of a county, family and surrogate's court shall be the same and shall be as follows: Justice and judge 136,700
§ 2. Sections 221-d, 221-e, and 221-f of the judiciary law are REPEALED.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07482-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to salaries of county court, family court and surrogate's court judges, and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating thereto
Purpose
This bill would eliminate the various pay scales and provide that all trial judges, at the county and supreme court level, receive the same salary.
Summary of provisions
Section 221-b states that the salary of justices of the supreme court and judges of the county, family, and surrogate courts shall be the same.
Justification
This legislation would eliminate the judicial pay disparities that exist in New York State. There is no other state that has such a fractured and irrational compensation plan. For example, New York is the only state that pays its felony trial judges less than its civil court judges and New York is one of only a few states that pays its family court judges less then its civil court judges. Currently, supreme court judges are paid the same in New York regardless of their location; yet this is not true for family, county and surrogate court judges. One argument often made against pay equity for judges is the cost of living differences between jurisdictions. However, all Senators and Assembly members are paid the same regardless of their district location. It is the intent of this bill to bring to light judicial any disparities and provide a meaningful solution.
Legislative history
2013/2014 -S.1165 Remained in the Committee on Judiciary 2011/2012 -S.1442 Remained in the Committee on Judiciary 2009/2010 -S.635/A.1689 Remained in the Committees on Judiciary 2007/2008 -S.801/A.1410 Remained in the Committees on Judiciary 2005/2006 -S.547/A.678 Remained in the Committees on Judiciary
Fiscal implications
It is estimated that this will cost approximately $3 million per year.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.