Maryland residents could pay $23K for judiciary raises by 2030

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland judges could see a $23,000 salary jump in the next four years, despite already making $200,000 a year, under Gov. Wes Moore’s budget, which was passed by the General Assembly on Monday night. Meanwhile, state workers — most of whom make less than half of this — aren’t any closer to similar wage increases.

Moore’s budget will use taxpayer money to enact recommendations from the Judicial Compensation Commission, which meets every four years to review judicial salaries. While the governor has no direct hand in determining how much judges get compensated, according to Maryland law, he gets to pick who serves on the commission. Of the compensation commission’s seven members, three were picked by Moore. The rest were picked by former Gov. Larry Hogan.

Thousands of state workers remain frustrated with the governor after he failed to reach an agreement on wage increases with Maryland’s chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The union, which is the largest that represents state workers in Maryland, had requested pay adjustments because it felt that wages didn’t keep up with rising inflation or that they didn’t keep up with the wages of the majority of state employees.

Salary expansion for judges comes as Maryland faces tough economic headwinds. A majority of Maryland residents cannot afford to pay for groceries or utilities, and the state is projected to bring in less revenue than it spends on operational costs. Economists acknowledge that competitive salaries attract top talent, but they’re conflicted about whether it’s fiscally responsible to have taxpayers pay for judges to pocket more when they already make twice the median household income.

Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun.