Iowa’s judges will get a pay raise July 1, but the Legislature can expect to be lobbied about the need for future salary hikes when it convenes next January.

“We intend to press them during the next legislative session,” said Nick Critelli, now in the last days of his term as president of the Iowa State Bar Association. “And now we’re armed with the argument that the Legislature already has given itself a raise.”

The Legislature boosted the salaries of the state’s elected executive officers by about 12.8 percent and raised its own members’ pay to $25,000 in 2007 from $21,381 this year. But it raised judicial salaries an average of about 4.5 percent. The chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court is to be paid $132,720; each of the other Supreme Court justices will receive $128,000; the chief judge of the Court of Appeals will receive $127,920; each district judge will get $117,040, and so on.

No action was taken on future raises, despite a recommendation by a judicial compensation task force put together last winter by the ISBA that included Chairman Robert Ray, Jim Cownie, Carolyn Jones, Gary Kirke, Bill Knapp, Marvin Pomerantz, Sandra Rasmussen and David Walker.

After comparing judicial salaries to those of other public officials in highly responsible positions, the task force recommended a 4.5 percent cost of living increase this year followed by double-digit percentage increases to be spread over the next two years.

For example, this plan would have increased the salary of each Supreme Court justice to $144,006 next year and $160,000 in 2007. Court of Appeals judges would reach the $145,000 level, and district judge salaries would climb to $135,000.

ISBA Executive Director Dwight Dinkla, a former legislator, noted that the Legislature traditionally is reluctant to commit future lawmakers to salary increases for public officials.

Iowa’s judicial salaries ranked fifth among seven Midwestern states in a 2003 comparison, and Dinkla said that status is probably unchanged even with this year’s raises. Iowa ranks about the same among that group when comparing the salaries of other public officials.

The ISBA remains convinced that judicial salaries are still too low. “In order to attract and retain highly trained and competent professionals, you have to pay them compensation that is attractive,” Critelli said. “We have been blessed with a high-quality judiciary, and we want to ensure that we will continue to enjoy those benefits.”