Supreme Judicial Court Justice John
M. Greaney and Chief Justice for
Administration & Management Robert A. Mulligan Testify on Judicial
Salaries before Compensation Advisory Board
Stressing
the urgent need to restore judicial salaries to adequate
levels, Supreme Judicial Court Justice John M. Greaney
and Chief Justice for Administration & Management
Robert A. Mulligan last night testified at a public
hearing at the State House before the Compensation
Advisory Board. The Advisory Board on Compensation
was established by statute to study and make recommendations
to the Governor on “the adequacy of compensation
of officials,” which include the judges, the
Constitutional officers, and the legislative leaders.
Justice
Greaney and Chief Justice Mulligan emphasized the
importance of salary restoration to maintaining the
highest levels of judicial performance. Currently,
Massachusetts judicial salaries rank 45th in the
country when adjusted for cost-of-living, according
to the National Center for State Courts.
“Unless
the problem of stagnant compensation is satisfactorily
addressed, there will be, sooner rather than later,
a steady erosion in the quality of justice, with adverse
effects on the rights of our citizens,” said
Justice Greaney.
“Judges
must be strong in character and judgment and intellectually
equal to the finest lawyers who practice before them,” said
Chief Justice Mulligan. “Judicial excellence
is not driven by salaries alone. However, it is critical
to create a compensation structure that fairly and
equitably confirms the essential nature of the work
performed by judges in upholding the rule of law – the
bedrock of a stable and democratic society.”
Justice
Greaney and Chief Justice Mulligan presented members
of the Advisory Board with salary charts and comprehensive
research binders objectively documenting the failure
of judicial compensation to keep pace with both inflation
and rising salaries in other professions and occupations,
both private and public.
The
two judges explained to the Board that the caseloads
are increasing in every court department and that
the cases involve a growing number of complex constitutional
and legal issues which require careful research and
intense deliberation. Massachusetts judges are also
on call, on a rotating basis, to handle emergency
legal matters at nights and on weekends every day
of the year through the Judicial Response System.
Judges are severely limited in opportunities to earn
additional compensation because of ethical and time
restraints.
Also
testifying before the Board on behalf of the Judiciary
were Attorney Michael B. Keating of Foley Hoag, who
is Chair of the Court Management Advisory Board and
Attorney Kathy B. Weinman of Dwyer & Collora,
who is President-Elect of the Boston Bar Association.
Supreme
Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall,
who is President-Elect of the Conference of Chief
Justices, was attending the Chief Justices’ mid-year
meeting and was unable to present to the Board last
night.
The
Advisory Board on Compensation is co-chaired by Paul
Guzzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Nora Costa,
Managing Director of Salary.com. Other Board members
are Stephen Crosby, Dean of the McCormack Graduate
School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts;
Thomas Kochan, Professor of Management at MIT’s
Sloan School of Management; and Pamela Wilmot, Executive
Director of Common Cause.
