Supreme Court of the United States
Williams, Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of California v. United States
March 4, 2002535 U.S. 911
Summary
Dissent by Justice Breyer (joined by Scalia and Kennedy) argues the Court should grant certiorari to determine whether the Constitution's Compensation Clause prohibits Congress from blocking statutory automatic judicial pay adjustments before they take effect; the dissent distinguishes prior precedent regarding the certainty of statutory mandates and suggests judicial independence would be threatened if Congress can revoke fixed compensation promises.