MA judge wants his pension

[MA_PE]

Here's a fun one to toss around. A judge has 6 years on the bench and is "retiring" due to a medical condition. Law says he needs to have 10 years in to get a full pension. He's using a clause in the laws designed to remove people from the bench that the legislature doesn't want as basis for justifying why he should a full pension of $97k/year starting now.

judge pension

FWIW, the law states that at 70 y.o. he would get a pension of ~$55k based on the 6 years he has in and he might be eligible to collect disability if they find he qualifies. Last year made ~$188k income from other sources besides his position as a judge.

Is this justice?

 

[wilheldp_PE]

And people wonder why states/cities are going bankrupt from funding their pensions.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

This is what happens when lawyers get to pass laws.

 

[Road Guy]

judges / clerk of the courts / etc are a serious cause of pain to most all state and local budgets

they never want to cut any of their budgets while the watch the police take furloughs...

 

[snickerd3]

he's lucky he even qualifies for partial pension. you don't meet the time requirements you aren't vested its that simple.

 

[Wolverine]

You've heard it before and I'll say it here again:

Lawyers are scum; they are lower than scum; they are excrement from the mold that grows on the bottom side of the scum on the shiitake that rests on the bottom of the ocean.

Judges are just lawyers dressed in black bedsheets. Ah yes, and most also have God-complexes.

Four facts about lawyers that you may not know:

1. They are always less confident about their abilities than they appear (an inferiority complex brought on by repeat failure in front of a judge)

2. They will never take responsibility for failure

3. They work for themselves first, their peers and profession second, and their clients last

4. Lawyers all imagine themselves as judges one day

Ooh, and there's a Number 5: they want to be paid up front with no guarantee of performance

I hate lawyers. And judges by association.

 

[mizzoueng]

judges / clerk of the courts / etc are a serious cause of pain to most all state and local budgets
they never want to cut any of their budgets while the watch the police take furloughs...

Depends on the location. My mom is a court clerk for a county, they get paid woefully low. The Judges make really good bank, but it doesn't trickle down as much. Again, it may be more prevalent in larger city gov't than in rural county gov't.

 

[MA_PE]

judges / clerk of the courts / etc are a serious cause of pain to most all state and local budgets
they never want to cut any of their budgets while the watch the police take furloughs...

Depends on the location. My mom is a court clerk for a county, they get paid woefully low. The Judges make really good bank, but it doesn't trickle down as much. Again, it may be more prevalent in larger city gov't than in rural county gov't.

Hard to believe that clerks are paid low, in such a high stress and physcially demanding job.

 

[Slugger926]

he's lucky he even qualifies for partial pension. you don't meet the time requirements you aren't vested its that simple.

Exactly. He was already overpaid, and knew the laws going in. Quick judgement would be either suck it up for four more years or no pension.

Most judges are over qualified for their positions, and complecate things by typing out reasons for rulings. If they went through sports officiating school, they would be more effecient and better with simple yes/no/you win/you lose judgements without explaining.

I like the Vietnamese court system where court is held in the street very fast and effeciently without a lot of overhead. Cost reductions in governtment effeciency would go a long ways towards getting us out of financial trouble. We are already spending more than we make.

arty-smiley-048: arty-smiley-048: arty-smiley-048: arty-smiley-048:

 

[roadwreck]

since this seems to be the bitch about lawyers thread, I'll submit this story for the "WTF are they thinking" moment.

Seismologists tried for manslaughter for not predicting earthquake

 

[snickerd3]

OMG thats ludicris...so can we sue weathermen now when they don't predict the weather correctly?

 

[roadwreck]

OMG thats ludicris...so can we sue weathermen now when they don't predict the weather correctly?

the precedent has been set. Watch out weather channel, I'm lawyering up!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Ooh, and there's a Number 5: they want to be paid up front with no guarantee of performance

I thought those were prostitutes.

 

[Slugger926]

since this seems to be the bitch about lawyers thread, I'll submit this story for the "WTF are they thinking" moment.
Seismologists tried for manslaughter for not predicting earthquake

Oklahoma should be able to charge several weathermen with manslaughter charges.