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Juvenile court judges and their clerks in Massachusetts will see more money in their paychecks in 2014 thanks to a provision in the recently passed $34 billion budget. The phased-in salary increases, the first for judges and clerks since 2006, will total $23 million annually, about 2 percent of the 2014 budget.
The budget will increase the salaries of regular associate judges from nearly $130,000 annually to almost $160,000 -- an increase of approximately 23 percent.
The Republican reports that under the new budget -- which Gov. Deval Patrick said he will sign next month -- trial court clerk salaries will increase by 22 percent, from $110,000 to approximately $135,000. Assistant court clerks will see their salaries increase by nearly $19,000, and first assistant clerks by $20,000.
The state’s highest ranking justices will also see their individual pay increase, by $30,000, under the proposal. High court associate justices salaries will jump from nearly $146,000 to $176,000, with the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court seeing a phased pay increase to $181,000.
Currently, legislators in Massachusetts are ironing out a compromise on the state budget. Under the House proposal, the salary increases would begin in Jan. 2014. The Senate plan would have salaries increase beginning in July 2014.