Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for judges who don’t show up for work | PennLive Editorial
Updated Dec 11, 2020;
It’s a nice job, if you can get it. You don’t have to report to work every day, you can rake in money from another job, and you might even walk away with a pension and lifetime health care.
That’s the good life many district judges in Pennsylvania enjoy. They earn $93,338 a year, and although they sometimes have to rule on complex law issues, they don’t even have to have a law degree.
The state’s 512 district judges are elected, and they handle issues of direct importance to Pennsylvania residents. They hear traffic cases, set bail amounts in criminal cases and rule on civil disputes. And while some have full workloads and put in significant hours doing the people’s work, others are regularly absent from the courtroom and can even hold down demanding side jobs like a law practice or running a business.