The chief justice of Kentucky's supreme court says state lawmakers should give judges a raise.
In his annual State of the Judiciary address Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. also said drug offenders should be offered incentives to use the state's drug court treatment program.
Minton told lawmakers that Kentucky judges earn 17.5 percent less than the national average. The state's publicly elected judges have not had a raise since 2008. Minton said low salaries are hindering the court's ability to attract top quality lawyers to the bench.
And Minton said budget cuts and changes in Kentucky's criminal sentencing laws have resulted in fewer people choosing to use the state's drug court treatment program. He said if lawmakers would offer drug court graduates a well-structured expungement process it would encourage more people use the program.