While the salacious details of Eliot Spitzer’s hookergate remains a favorite topic for discussion around New York, there’s one group that’s not enjoying any of it very much:  New York’s judges.  As reported by the New York Lawyer,

Citing grim economic news in New York and the rest of the nation, soon-to-be-governor David A. Paterson said yesterday it would be “very difficult” to adopt a pay raise for state court judges this year.

Years of negotiations, promises, and table-banging down the tubes.  As Chief Judge Judy Kaye raised, then lowered, then raised, then  lowered her voice, promising her rank and file judges that she was doing what had to be done and they should trust her, one thing is now painfully clear.  No raise this year.  The price of a good prostitute proved higher than the governor thought.  At least he got what he wanted out of it. 

The economy, the annual New York budget crisis, and the upcoming election year all contribute to the problem, but the old gov had this on his list of things to do.  The new gov has new issues, like establishing an administration and relationship with the legislature that the old one burned.  David Patterson has his hands full. 

So where does this leave judges.  Nowhere.  They just got pushed to the back burner again.

Two lawsuits filed by various judges and supported by some judicial organizations have been filed to force the Legislature and the governor to grant a raise. In addition, Chief Judge Kaye has retained former White House Counsel Bernard W. Nussbaum to prepare a suit she has threatened for nearly a year if the other branches of government do not act.

These were acts of desperation.  The suits by the lower court judges were for real.  They just had enough of the spin out of Albany and decided to do what lawyers do.  But Judge Kaye’s threats?  Posturing.  No one in Albany is shaking in their boots.

After all the angst and anger that judges have been through awaiting the promised breakthrough, it looks like they are back to square one.  Justice  Emily Jane Goodman wrote almost a year ago that without a raise, she anticipates personal bankruptcy.  What will she do now?