Dayton’s budget plan includes raise for Supreme Court judges

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget proposal includes a request to increase salaries for the state’s Supreme Court justices.

The proposal announced Tuesday says the Judicial Branch is seeking $6.3 million for the fiscal year in the next two years to raise justices’ compensations by 3.5 percent each year. It would also go toward a compensation pool for employees and help fund health insurance premium and pension contribution increases.

The Judicial Branch had a salary freeze from fiscal years 2008 to 2013. Since then, it’s tried to make salaries competitive to retain and attract highly-skilled people.

The proposal says more high-quality workers will be needed soon, as nearly one-third of staffers will be 65 or older in the next decade.

The request is a 9 percent increase in the Judicial Branch’s budget.