An American Bar Association House of Delegates resolution calling for increases in pay for federal judges received support from the ISBA Board of Governors on May 18.

The resolution endorses a statement by Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court that failure to raise judges' salaries is “a crisis that threatens to undermine the strength and independence of the federal judiciary.”

The ABA urges Congress to take immediate action on enactment of a substantial pay increase that is consistent with a recent analysis by Paul Volcker, a past chair of the National Commission on the Public Service.

Volcker's analysis recognized the inadequacy of federal judicial salary increases that have not kept pace with raises in the wages of average American workers.

In an essay in the Wall Street Journal, he pointed out that if the salaries of district court judges had reflected rising wages of workers from 1969 to 2006, they would now be paid $261,200 annually instead of $165,000.

Kirkland & Ellis, Sidley Austin and Winston & Strawn announced at the end of May that they have raised annual salaries of first-year associates to $160,000.

The ABA adopted similar resolutions in 2003, 1998, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1981 and 1980.