2009
Supreme Court asks Joint Committee on Employment Relations to forego judicial pay raises
Madison, Wisconsin - May 27, 2009
In recognition of the state’s financial situation, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has requested the Office of State Employment Relations to recommend to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations a modification to the 2007-09 Compensation Plan to remove a 2-percent salary increase previously approved for justices and state court judges.
The increase was to take effect upon the swearing in of a state court judge to take office on or after June 7, 2009. The change, which affects circuit court judges, Court of Appeals judges and Supreme Court justices, is expected to result in about $1.7 million in savings during the next biennium. “
As a separate and equal branch of government, the judiciary joins with the legislative and executive branches in efforts to eliminate the state’s financial deficit,” said Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson on behalf of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was unanimous in its decision, Abrahamson said.
Director of State Courts A. John Voelker formally asked the Office of State Employment Relations to modify the plan on behalf of the Supreme Court. A copy of the letter is available here 
.