Federal judges and government clash over proposed salary increases

The federal government is facing a court challenge from more than 1,000 federally appointed judges after rejecting an independent recommendation for salary increases of $28,000 to $36,000. The dispute has drawn concern from legal scholars and politicians, who warn that the case could affect public confidence in the judiciary. Judges eligible for the raise currently earn between about $398,000 and $510,000 a year. The Federal Court is set to hear the case in September before retired judge Alexandra Hoy, after Ottawa argued that using a sitting judge could create a perception of bias. The judges’ associations say the government did not give enough justification for turning down the recommendation, while Ottawa says raising salaries during economic uncertainty would have been inappropriate.