Citing pay, U.S. District Court judge in Riverside steps down

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson, who oversaw the controversial Duroville mobile home park case along with the Barbie vs Bratz toy lawsuit, is resigning to go into private practice, saying that the job doesn’t pay enough to support his wife and seven children.

“The costs associated with raising our family are increasing significantly, while our salary remains stagnant and, in terms of its purchasing power, is actually declining,” he said in a statement.

Larson, appointed by former President George W. Bush, has worked in the court’s central district in Riverside since 2005. He will step down Nov. 2.

Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins, who made the announcement, said the central district serves more people than any other federal trial court and is facing a crisis in retaining judges due to heavy caseloads and stagnant wages.

--David Kelly from Riverside

Comments

[Karen Wesche]

Judge Larson is a brilliant man and an asset to the federal bench. I do respect his decision however and have always and continue to have tremendous respect for him.

[Richard Schell]

Although I do not know Judge Larson, as a U. S. District Judge myself, I can understand how he feels. What the public probably is not aware of is that federal judges as a group are singled out year after year by Congress for disparate treatment on cost of living adjustments as compared to the rest of the federal work force. We either receive a reduced or partial COLA or no COLA at all. And that has been going on for about 15 years. Other than members of Congress themselves, no other group of federal workers has experienced the same diminution in compensation.