Mississippi judges to receive pay raises

• While the conference report to raise the pay of judges on the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Chancery Courts and Circuit Courts was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers, not every lawmaker was pleased to see the bill.

Barring a veto from the governor, judges across the Magnolia State will receive large pay increases when the new fiscal year begins in July.

The state Senate tabled a motion to reconsider the legislation raising the judges’ pay on Thursday morning, sending it on to Governor Tate Reeves (R). The governor can either sign the measure into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

Under the conference report filed for HB 1752, Mississippi judges on the state Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Chancery Courts and Circuit Courts will receives thousands of dollars in pay raises, some over $13,000.

The legislation sets the new pay scale for these positions as follows:

• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court – $194,171
  • An increase of $12,680
• Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court – $190,614
  • An increase of $13,877
• Associate Justice of the Supreme Court – $187,625
  • An increase of $13,825
• Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals – $182,624
  • An increase of $13,275
• Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals – $179,871
  • An increase of $11,404
• Chancery Judge – $171,063
  • An increase of $13,063
• Circuit Judge – $171,063
  • An increase of $13,063

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Brice Wiggins (R) told his chamber earlier this week that the salaries in the bill were the lowest recommended by the State Personnel Board. He said the increases where “the minimal based on cost of living and everything like that compared to other states.”

While the conference report was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers, not every lawmaker was pleased to see the bill.

State Senator Michael McLendon (R) was among eight senators to oppose the conference report. He took exception with the raises being labeled as cost of living adjustments while teachers received raises this session far less amount than the Senate and House initially proposed.

Wiggins said the two issues were “apples and oranges.”

There are a limited number of judges compared to well over 30,000 public school teachers. The state Supreme Court has 9 seats while the Court of Appeals has 10 judges. The Mississippi Bar reports that there are 52 Chancellors and 57 Circuit Court judges.

“It’s spot on to give the apple to the teachers,” McLendon said. “But I don’t think they are getting the apple, I don’t even think they are getting the apple seed.”

Wiggins replied, “There is an element of supply and demand, from the standpoint that there’s only one chief justice.”

A similar comparison was made in the House by Minority Leader Robert Johnson (D).

“We can do close to a 10% raise for judges, but we can’t do an 8% to 12% raise for schoolteachers?” Johnson (D) asked.

Johnson ended up voting to approve the conference report, which passed the House 115 to 2.