New Jersey State Senator Sean T. Kean said that he is adding his support to a constitutional amendment proposed by Governor Chris Christie that would make clear that recently enacted public employee pension and benefit reforms can be applied to judges.
The amendment was proposed in response to a court ruling which found that a recently enacted law which requires judges and other public employees to pay increased contributions for health and pension benefits amounted to an unconstitutional reduction of judicial salaries. As a result of the ruling, the cost saving reforms that are being applied to all other public employees cannot currently be applied to judges.
“In my opinion, the constitutional protection of judicial salaries was meant to preserve the independence of the Judiciary by ensuring that judges wouldn’t be subject to pay cuts imposed by other branches of government as punishment for unpopular decisions,” said Kean. “This constitutional protection was not meant to remove from judges the responsibility that should be borne by all public employees to pay a fair share of the cost of the additional benefits they receive.”
Kean added: “I think the court erred in equating the health and pension benefits afforded to judges with the monetary salaries they receive for serving on the bench. By shielding judges from the financial realities of increased benefit costs that are being borne by every other taxpayer and public employee in New Jersey, the ruling has the effect of setting judges as an elite and specially privileged class in a way our constitution did not intend. I will support the constitutional amendment proposed by Governor Christie to ensure that all public officials, including judges, are treated fairly with respect to cost saving pension and benefit reforms. The amendment will ensure that the independence of the Judiciary is maintained while providing significant savings to taxpayers.”
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