Dignity, money, and justice at issue in assessing judges' salaries

The Constitutional Tribunal decided that the current low salaries for judges do not violate the Constitution and that judges do not have to earn as much as civil servants or legislators. " It does not mean that civil servants and legislators shouldn' t care about the [comparatively lower] wages of judges," said deputy Tribunal president Janusz Trzcinski. The President determines in a written directive the salaries of judges, and then the Prime Minister must accept it. " The Constitution says that all three powers are equal. In fact, a local court judge earns less than a member of local appellate juries," said Krakow judge Leszek Kania. " It is absurd to think that power that earns more money is stronger," said Presidential spokesperson Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 4).