First pay raise for Texas judges in over a decade heads to governor’s desk after pension dispute

Texas lawmakers passed the first raise for state judges in more than 10 years in the last hours of the 89th Legislature on Monday — after a dispute over the bill’s effect on legislators’ pensions nearly killed the measure.

In a 114-26 vote, the Texas House passed Senate Bill 293 from Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, which raises the base pay for Texas state judges from $140,000 to $175,000. That salary hadn’t changed or been adjusted for inflation since the Legislature last approved a base pay increase in 2013.

Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, who advocated throughout this legislative session for judicial pay raises , applauded the bill’s passage in a statement Monday.

“Late in the session, the fate of the bill was unexpectedly threatened,” the statement reads. “At many times, its prospect