Auto Bailout Bill, Passed by House, Includes $5K Hike for Judges
A $14 billion bailout bill passed by the House on Wednesday evening would benefit judges as well as the auto industry.
The bill includes a cost of living hike for judges of almost $5,000, the Associated Press reports. Trial judges now earn $169,300. The bill would raise their pay to the same level as lawmakers, who got an automatic pay adjustment.
In six of the last 13 years, judges did not get an annual cost of living adjustment, the AP story says. A separate bill to raise judges’ pay passed the Senate this year, but the House never acted.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., insisted that the judge COLA go into the bailout bill, according to the story.
Judges shouldn’t start celebrating yet, though. The New York Times reports that the bailout bill remains on shaky ground because it has not garnered enough support among Republicans in the Senate. Some senators said the auto giants should be allowed to fail, while others wanted stronger oversight.
Hat tip to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.
