Eric Helland, the inaugural Robert J. Lowe Professor of Economics at the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at CMC, will discuss "Funding the Judiciary: The Neglected Branch," at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The public portion of the program begins at 6:45 p.m., with free seating on a first-come basis.
With Chief Justice John Roberts on record as saying the low level of judicial pay in the United States is reaching a "constitutional crisis," Helland's lecture explores whether there is an impact of low judicial pay on the quality of judges in state appellate and supreme courts. Previous studies on judicial pay have focused simply on the federal courts, due to a dearth of comprehensive information on state judges. By creating a large database of information on judges and the salaries they receive, Helland was able to determine the effect of low judicial pay on the quality of state judges.
In addition to his position at CMC, Helland is the senior economist at RAND Corporation's Institute for Civil Justice. From 2003-2004 he served as the senior staff economist at the President's Council of Economic Advisors. Helland received his B.A. from the University of Missouri and received his Ph.D. from Washington University.