New Jersey State Senator Diane Allen (R- Burlington/Camden) today submitted a Senate resolution that, if passed, would allow voters to decide whether to amend the New Jersey Constitution to apply pension and benefits reforms to members of the Judiciary.
"As I've said from the beginning, if the Court's interpretation of the state Constitution prohibits the reforms we passed to save the pension system from applying to judges, then the Constitution needs to be changed," said Allen. "It is not too much to ask that the Judiciary pays its fair share toward retirement benefits and healthcare costs just like every other public worker, especially since judges by far have the most lavish benefits of any other public employee."
Allen's resolution clarifies that pensions and benefits fall outside of the state Constitution's prohibition on making Legislative changes to judicial salaries for sitting justices.
"The cost of providing retirement benefits to public employees rises year in and year out," said Allen. "Asking that Judges adapt to these financial trends is not political interference with a co-equal branch of government, it is a reality that public and private sector workers alike must adapt to every single day. The Judiciary must be independent and fair, but not a special, protected class of public employee."
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