Here are recent pay figures for federal District Court judges (the lowest and by far most common type):

2003: 154,700
2004: 158,100
2005: 162,100
source

The article above has it at 165,200 for 2006.

Federal Judges have not had a pay increase in many many years. I think it is in excess of 10 years and I'll check with Ms. Grouchy to see the actual number. The Judges are paid for life. Normally Judges get paid well above the average to insure limited interest in bribery, well, taking a bribe.

There is a certain amount of status in being a Federal Judge, but the relative low compensation actually reduces the available pool. My guess is, if the Judges pay increases kept up with the pay of non Judges they would be getting near $350k at the moment.

Now before you get in a huff, there are only around 1,000 Judges. They need to be the best available and above reproach. The cash keeps them honest.

Dr John

So how did we end up with your sorry ass, Tony?
But you have a point. When you pay bottom-dollar for a judge, you get what you pay for. Solution: either out-sourcing or let the market decide. (I learned the latter from Milton Friedman.)

Federal district judges make $165,200 a year. Appeals and Supreme Court judges a bit more. That's in the upper percentiles even in Manhattan.

The average house in the DC area is in the same ballpark as in NYC. Most of us make substantially less than $165k and are doing just fine.

The potential for the latter should not be underestimated; it's the rule for the judicial profession throughout the ages, not the exception.

Note the rather spooky trajectory of Judge Luttig from the 4th Circuit, now corporate counsel somewhere. I do NOT suggest any misdeed by him; it's just a hint that, lifetime app't or not, judges definitely could see a % in issuing some favorable rulings for megacorps, then getting jobs therewith.

If it's not happening yet, it will.

And most of the judiciary is paid less. Your basic judge has three choices -- make a fortune BEFORE becoming a judge, live B&T, or take bribes.

Regards, C

If you don't study hard, and have low income expectations, then you might end up stuck IN ONE OF THE MORE PRESTIGIOUS POSTS A LAWYER CAN HOLD!

I was hoping that my crude aspect was understand, but I'm not crude here, so I screwed it up.

In what world is 160k a year not enough to raise a family, anyway?

Also note the dig at career public sector workers--obviously second rate in Scalia's eyes. I wonder if he will tell the career MD's and Ph.D's at NIH, career staff at the military hospitals and academies, career foreign service staff in the State Department and long-termers in the Department of Justice that they are all the dregs of the barrel?

What an idiot! Talk about professional low-life.

Justice Scalia has never known the agony of interpreting the Constitution on an empty stomach, wants the same for impoverished Federal Judges. [Outside the Beltway] The best idea Tom DeLay has to drive traffic to his blog is blaming......

That is, I think, the unspoken premise of the argument. A justice can't very readily come out and say "my god, these district judges nowadays are idiots!"