Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., on more than one occasion, has urged Congress to pay federal judges more, pointing out that the robed ones have seen their salaries plummet over the years relative to those of other U.S. workers. Federal district judges make about $174,000 a year — just a shade more than the going rate for first-year associates at top law firms.

Judge Otis Wright II of California’s Central District, for one, could use a raise.

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