Poll: Should Judges Pay More for Health Benefits?

The state's voters will decide this fall whether the New Jersey Constitution should be amended to allow legislators to force members of the judiciary to pay more for their health and pension benefits.

Only three members of the Legislature voted against the measure, which was swiftly passed after a divided state Supreme Court ruled that requiring greater contributions is tantamount to a pay cut, forbidden by the Constitution. 

"Rarely has the public seen such unanimity between the legislative and executive branches that the judicial branch was dead wrong," Gov. Chris Christie told the Star-Ledger. 

The top court's majority ruled that the Constitution's prohibition on pay cuts protects the judiciary from partisan meddling while the state argued that health and pension benefits cannot be considered salary.

What do you think? Should the Constitution be amended? Should judges be forced to shoulder a greater share of their benefits? Take our poll and tell us in the comments.