From Paul Bedard at U.S. News and World Report:

A job for life, generous bennies, the pick of tee times, and compliments from every lawyer in town can’t make up for the reality of ‘low’ pay on the federal bench. Making between $149,132 and $208,100 (on par with the vice president and House speaker) just doesn’t cut it anymore for the black-robed class. Listen to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. ‘We are patronized when we meet judges from England, the European Union, or Malaysia, whose salaries double that of ours,’ he tells a House subcommittee. ‘They say, ‘We’re so sorry about your salaries.’ You shouldn’t put us in that position.”

Here’s a thought, Justice Kennedy: You could resign in protest.Anyway, as Kim Priestap has reported, things like this happen in the Malaysian legal system. Malaysian jurists probably get paid extra to help make up for the fact that they aren’t always allowed to issue opinions.

Hmmm… on second thought, Justice Kennedy may have a point. Let’s pay him more.