Senate approves Supreme Court pay raise

Tuesday, May 29, 2001 | 10:17 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Senate approved a bill Monday giving 30 percent pay raises to Nevada Supreme Court justices and District Court judges.

Senate Bill 184, which goes to the Assembly, boosts the pay of Supreme Court justices from $107,600 to $140,000 and district judges from $100,000 to $130,000. The raises go into effect after the next election.

The bill also creates a device to skirt a constitutional ban on raising the salary of elected officials in the middle of their term.

Justices are elected to staggered six-year terms. That often leaves some judges making less than less-experienced peers, because their opportunity to run for re-election comes later.

For instance, Justice Bob Rose was elected in 1994 and took office in January 1995 with a base salary of $84,000. The pay was raised in 1995 to $107,600, and those elected since then enjoyed that amount.

Rose was re-elected last fall, when his base salary finally caught up with the other justices.

Before 1994 the pay was equalized by giving justices extra salary for sitting as a member of the state board of pardons. But the voters overwhelmingly defeated that system on a ballot question.

The compromise would allow some of the judges to serve on the Law Library Commissions to boost their pay. As a result, all of the justices would receive $140,000, rather than some remaining at $107,600.

While the Supreme Court members are elected on a rotating basis, most district judges are on the same election cycle. Only a few Family Court judges might be shortchanged under the prohibition. But the bill also provides for them to sit on a library commission to make up the difference in their salaries.