MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice wants raises of more than $20,000 a year for herself and other judges, saying judicial pay in Wisconsin is among the lowest in the country. Chief Justice Pat Roggensack is asking Gov. Scott Walker to include a 16 percent pay hike in his upcoming budget proposal. Her proposal would cost $6.4 million a year. Roggensack would increase pay for circuit judges from $131,000 to about $152,000. Pay for appeals court judges would rise from about $139,000 to $161,000. Supreme Court justices would receive a hike from $147,000 to about $171,000. The chief justice has the backing of some powerful lobbying groups in Wisconsin, including Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and the Wisconsin Realtors Association. Roggensack says Wisconsin ranks 41st in the country for trial judges’ salaries.
