Ga. judges earn thousands in local extras
Raises of up to $12,000 for top judges won overwhelming support from lawmakers this year based in part on repeated declarations from supporters that the judiciary had missed out on pay hikes in the past.
In fact, some legislators and judges argued that the judiciary hadn’t received a raise since 1999, when then-Gov. Roy Barnes signed a pay bill similar to the one Gov. Nathan Deal inked last week.
But an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review found that cost-of-living raises granted to Supreme Court, Appeals Court and Superior Court judges have boosted the state pay of the positions about 17 percent since 1999. In some counties, local supplement increases have boosted the pay closer to 25-30 percent.
Read more in Monday’s AJC and on MyAJC.com.
About the Author
James Salzer has covered state government and politics in Georgia since 1990. He previously covered politics and government in Texas and Florida. He specializes in government finance, budgets, taxes, campaign finance, ethics and legislative history
