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Federal Judges Sue to Win Promised Pay Increases
Associated Press ^ | December 14th, 2012 | Jesse L. Holland

Posted on 12/14/2012 11:17:54 AM PST by Jacquerie

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With the nation teetering on an economic "fiscal cliff," federal judges may soon force Congress to dedicate possibly millions of dollars to what some of those same judges must consider a worthy cause: their own salaries.

Congress in 1989 limited federal judges' ability to earn money outside of their work on the bench and in exchange provided what was supposed to be automatic cost-of-living increases to judicial salaries to ensure inflation wouldn't erode the value of those salaries over time.

U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson Jr. of Texas, one of the judges seeking class-action status, called that a "binding commitment" made by the legislative branch for the judicial branch to "receive the same yearly COLAs awarded to all other federal employees, to keep us even with inflation."

But instead of following through, Congress withheld those cost-of-living increases in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007 and 2010, while giving other federal employees their promised increases. "In our view, the exclusion is contrary to the commitment to us, so we have sued to enforce it," said Furgeson, a senior judge who also serves as the president of the Federal Judges Association.

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government
KEYWORDS: constitution; courts
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To: Jacquerie
All politicians should be term limited.

Umm... They are.

That's why there are elections. If voters don't like an incumbent, they are free to vote the bum out.

Why do you want to take away the right of voters to choose who represents them?

21 posted on 12/14/2012 1:09:07 PM PST by TChris ("Hello", the politician lied.)
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To: Scoutmaster

That’s a rather roundabout explanation, and anyway has nothing to do with the actual case. Ifsoever Congress attempted to control the judiciary in that manner I think it might run afoul of the ban on bills of attainder. They could only really punish classes of judges, and that would be an inefficient way to get them back for specific rulings.

Judges couldn’t forestall Congress from reducing salaries on whole classes of judges because they may be punitive. Congress does, after all, hold the purse strings. That is their check (or balance); the judiciary can’t take it away.

By the way, if Congress wants to punish judges for bad rulings the correct route is impeachment. It was a sad day for the Republic whenever it was we decided to against political impeachment.


22 posted on 12/14/2012 1:11:34 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: TChris

That’s not a term limit, and I think you know it. Voters have no right to choose who represents them. There is merely a system whereby we allow them to vote according to various limitations. For instance, they can’t suddenly choose to vote a Congressman out in the middle of his term, no matter how many voters agree. They can’t elect a president to a third term. This is so because we were stuck with FDR as president for life because voters are stupid.


23 posted on 12/14/2012 1:15:21 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: TChris
Why do you want to take away the right of voters to choose who represents them?

I do not recognize what you term as a "right."

The Framers did very well with our Constitution, but dropped the ball when it came to rotation in office. Previous Framers got it right in the Articles of Confederation. The annually appointed reps to Congress were limited to three years out of any term of six years. They were also subject to recall by their states.

Rotation in office would largely preclude career politicians and discourage the rise of demagogues. Returning to the real world to make an honest living on a regular basis would do wonders for our once republic.

24 posted on 12/14/2012 1:23:46 PM PST by Jacquerie ("How few were left who had seen the republic!" - Tacitus, The Annals)
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To: Tzimisce
...so a bunch of judges are going to go and ask a sitting judge to decide whether or not judges should get pay raises? Gee - I wonder if the judges will win that....

If that judge would be held accountable by those whose sworn duty it is to do so, your wonder might be genuine.

25 posted on 12/14/2012 1:33:27 PM PST by newgeezer ("... no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." --Rom. 13:1)
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To: newgeezer

Speaking of accountable, two of the FL supremos responsible for the Bush/Gore debacle in 2000 were up for retention votes last month.

Both were retained with about 70% of the popular vote.


26 posted on 12/14/2012 1:39:05 PM PST by Jacquerie ("How few were left who had seen the republic!" - Tacitus, The Annals)
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To: TChris

Here. Here. Agreed.


27 posted on 12/14/2012 2:06:04 PM PST by plain talk
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To: Tublecane
That’s a rather roundabout explanation, and anyway has nothing to do with the actual case.

I didn't mention the actual case; I responded to an extremely general question.

I also didn't mention the decrease in salary of an individual judge's salary. Your original general question used the word "judges" without an apostrophe. It wasn't clear whether you were referring to an individual judge (judge's) or two or more judges (judges'), and I interpreted your question to mean an entire class of judges.

I apologize.

28 posted on 12/14/2012 2:07:53 PM PST by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: dennisw; Jacquerie

I was thinking “Your Honor”, but your answers are just as good.


29 posted on 12/14/2012 2:12:08 PM PST by Mr. Lucky
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To: Scoutmaster

No need to apologize. Mu general-seeming questing was supposed to pertain to the case in question. I’d still like to know why you think Congress reducing classes of judges’ salaries, even if specifically designed to punish them for what they consider bad rulings, would be something the judiciary could prevent within the checks and balances system. What check do judges have on Congress’s power of the purse?


30 posted on 12/14/2012 3:16:18 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Scoutmaster

No need to apologize. My general-seeming questing was supposed to pertain to the case in question. I’d still like to know why you think Congress reducing classes of judges’ salaries, even if specifically designed to punish them for what they consider bad rulings, would be something the judiciary could prevent within the checks and balances system. What check do judges have on Congress’s power of the purse?


31 posted on 12/14/2012 3:16:22 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Scoutmaster

What checks apart from when Congress spends unconstitutionally, I mean.


32 posted on 12/14/2012 3:17:29 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Scoutmaster

Oh, damnable. I screwdriver up which cases we were talking about. Nevermind about Congress and all that. NJ’s constitution is another matter.


33 posted on 12/14/2012 3:19:57 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Jacquerie

Gee...If they sue in feral court, who could possibly hear the case, given the blatant conflict of interest?


34 posted on 12/14/2012 3:38:03 PM PST by rottndog (Be Prepared.....for what's coming AFTER America.)
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To: Jacquerie

Royal Furgeson Jr. of Texas won’t understand the ire that Americans have towards these black-robed commies until he’s hanging from a lamppost.


35 posted on 12/14/2012 5:44:25 PM PST by sergeantdave (The FBI has declared war on the Marine Corps)
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