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Chief Justice urges pay raises and staffing for courts; LBB and OCA present funding requests for judicial salaries and court modernization
Summary
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock urged a significant pay increase for judges to attract and retain qualified jurists and staff; Office of Court Administration and Legislative Budget Board outlined agency requests including pay adjustments, a specialty court case management system and an upgraded appellate system.
Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, who had just taken office, told the Senate Finance Committee that improving judicial pay and staffing is essential to attract and retain judges and court staff capable of administering the state’s complex caseloads. “A first year lawyer out of law school … will be making more money than Chief Justice Nathan Hecht was making after 40 years of service,” Blacklock said, and he urged support for legislative steps to make judicial salaries more competitive.
Blacklock proposed a discussion that went beyond modest annual adjustments, noting the public‑policy consequences of an underpaid judiciary and urging the committee to pair compensation…
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