The Pew Charitable Trusts

Court systems around the country have been hit hard by state budget cuts during the economic downturn. For New York judges, however, the lean times began well before the recession: State jurists have not had a raise in 12 years.

On Friday (August 26), a state commission granted New York's judges money they have been demanding for years, The New York Times reports . A seven-member panel voted 4-to-3 to give judges a 27 percent pay raise over three years. The commission's chairman called the decision "a start at correcting the injustice that has been done to New York State's judiciary over more than a decade of neglect."

But while the raise sounds significant, it pales in comparison to what some of the jurists had been seeking: salary increases of up to 60 percent, according to The Times . "The amount (the commission) settled on was considered very modest — and some judges even expressed bitter disappointment," the paper reports.

The raises are set to go into effect next year, unless the New York legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo modify the plan.