Evening star., 1955-02-07
Action on Raise
For Municipal
Judges Put Off
Committee Awaiting
Congress Approval Of
National Legislation

BY Harold B. Rogers

The House District Committee
today postponed action on legis-
lation to raise the pay of judges
of Municipal Court and the
Municipal Court of Appeals here,
in order to wait for Congress to
act on proposed raises for Fed
eral jurists and members Of
Congress.
The committee put off a vote
on pending bills during an exec
utive session after the legisla-
ton had been strongly urged by
spokesmen for the District Bar
Association, but criticized as too
generous by the District Com
missioners.
The legislation, sponsored by
Chairman Mcmillan of the Dis
trict Committee and Representa-
tive O'Hara, Republican, of
Minnesota, would give each OF
the iurists on the Municipal
Court and Court of Appeals
benches an increase of $500 a
year.
This figure is in line with legis-
lation now under active consider
alton on both sides of Capitol
Hill.
Legislators Warned.
Commissioner Samuel Spencer
agreed that if pay raises for
Government employees generally
were authorized by Congress, the
municipal judges should have
some increase.
But he warned the legislators
that the District budget for next
year already was in serious con-
dition" and it would cost about
$4,000 to meet the cost of the
proposed raises.
Declaring the general fund OF
the District is now $2.8 million
less than anticipated revenue,
the Commissioner said the whole
District budget is facing deficit
of S850,000 at the end of the
next fiscal year. This does not
include pay raises he told the
committee.
If pay raises are authorized
by Congress. he said. the Dis
trict will have to seek additional
revenue.
Mr.. Spencer pointed out that
to give the judges such increases
would bring their salaries out of
line with the pay of other lead
ing officials of the District gov
ernment.
Asks P0stpOnement.
He urged the committee to
e 5tpone action until the Com
mIssioners can study the whole
fiscal problem and come up with
a figure they could recommend
for increasing the judges pay.
1T would not be wise to enact
this legislation at present" Mr..
Spencer said.
John L. Lasky, speaking for
the District Bar Association.
strongly urged passage of the
McMil]an-OHara legislation.
IF it were not for the increase
now being proposed for Federal
Judges in pending legislation"
Mr.. Lasky told the committee,
"the District Bar would not at
this time back such local legis-
lation."
But he emphasized that the
bar wanted to maintain the re-
lationship between the municipal
tribunals and the Federal courts
here.
Cites Financial Sacrifice.
Taking issue with Commits
sioner Spencer, Mr.. Lasky
charged it would be IAN error to
consider the salaries of judges
in their relationship with SAL
aries paid District officials in
executive jobs"
Mr.. Lasky said it was becom-
Ing increasingly difficult to get
lawyers qualified to become
judges "to take the financial
sacrifice" they face on the bench.
He estimated the average income
of lawyers here at about $4,000
a year.
Representative Mcmillan in
serted into the record a state
ment made by Chief Judge
Bolitha j. Laws of the U. S.
District Court for the District OF
Columbia urging increased pay
for judges. made before the
Commission on Judicial and
Congressional Salaries. The last
witness, Charles S. Rhyme, gen.
eral counsel of the Commission
on Judicial and Congressional
Salaries, said he personally felt
the municipal judges should re-
ceive increases.