STEPHEN L. CARTER: The Other Crisis Facing The Federal Judiciary. “Had Congress kept its promise of $125,000 in constant 1989 dollars, I would still be on the bench.”

Plus: “Some context: $125,000 in 1989 dollars would be about $228,000 in 2012 dollars. A federal district judge currently receives an annual salary of $174,000. To most Americans, that probably sounds like a lot of money. But there are literally hundreds of executive-branch employees who earn more. So do first-year associates at many large law firms.”