I have been doing some pondering of the recent RA decision to pay (albeit temporarily) the chief judge and Chair of the Judicial Commission. I have arrived at the conclusion that I believe it should not be made permanent.
My biggest objection is that payment for these two positions combines compensation with life tenure. If payment for these positions is made permanent, we are essentially handing Ash and Publius $L1000/month for as long as they desire it.
In the real world, protected judicial compensation serves an important purpose. Real life judges need food and shelter, and their judicial independence could be compromised by authorities threatening to withhold that. Of course SL avatars have no such needs, eliminating the need to protect compensation in order to protect independence.
Some will argue that the lack of a virtual paycheck will shrink the pool of applicants. It seems pretty small already. However, my hunch is that this is more a matter of complexity than pay.