Scalia says: Give a Judge a Bone!

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia would like to see pay increases for judges throughout the country. Today, Fox News reports that Scalia mentioned the abysmal pay that federal judges take in. “If you become a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, you can’t raise a family on what the salary is.” For those of you wondering what the abysmal salary is… it’s $165,000.

Later, Scalia clarified by saying that lawyers can easily earn more by staying in the private sector. His frustration with our current federal judicial salaries may be sincere. I wonder if “private sector” lawyers who are more interested in making green than helping to shape our judicial system from the bench is the type of lawyer we want to attract, anyway? Right now, you get the folks who have a sincere interest in doing “good” for the world.
Is there a strong correlation between wealth and politics? If the answer is yes, are Scalia’s motives for demanding a pay increase more political than he lets on?

Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
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