A state commission is recommending big pay raises for Georgia judges and district attorneys a year after the General Assembly approved pay hikes for the same group.
The compensation commission, made up of judges, lawyers, state officials and others, recommended the base state pay for superior court judges jump by nearly a third and Supreme Court judges get 12.5 percent increases.
The commission also made it clear it would like to see the eventual end of "local supplements," which friendly lawmakers and local officials tack onto the pay of superior court judges and district attorneys. Such supplements have made superior court judges in the Augusta area - at $207,000 a year - the highest paid trial court judges in the country, the commission report said. Metro Atlanta judges have also gotten big pay boosts from the supplements.
Under the commission’s proposal, which lawmakers would have to approve, pay for members of the Georgia Supreme Court would jump from roughly $175,000 to $200,000, with the chief justice receiving $205,000. Appeals Court judges salaries would go from $174,500 to $190,000, with the chief judge getting $195,000.
The base state pay for superior court judges would go from $126,265-$132,265, depending on whether they have an accountability court, to $165,000-$175,000. If they currently make more because of local supplements - which most judges receive - they would keep their current salaries. Newly-elected or appointed judges would only get the state pay. District Attorneys would get a similar deal - either keep the current setup or see their state pay go from roughly $120,000 to $150,000-$160,000.
The pay raises would cost the state millions of dollars a year, but the exact amount isn’t known because it’s unclear how many judges and district attorneys would opt not to get local supplements and take the higher base state pay.
During the 2015 General Assembly session lawmakers agreed to raises for judges and district attorneys, based in part on the repeated assertion that they hadn't gotten pay hikes for many years. In fact, because of the local supplements, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found, some superior court judges received pay raises more frequently than teachers and other state employees. Lawmakers nonetheless voted some judges $12,000 raises.
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