The Supreme Court has ordered the government to put up or shut up when it comes to the salaries of provincial court judges.

In his ruling last week, Justice David Conway noted historic delays have hindered efforts to pay judges fairly for the work they do.

As such, he set a strict deadline, giving the government 60 days to approve, change or reject recommendations made by a tribunal four years ago.

In doing so, he ripped the province and then minister and now premier John Hogan for their “closed mind” and simply “going through the motions” with the same flawed arguments for makes changes which the judge deemed unconstitutional.

Conway also ordered the province to immediately return more than $130,000 taken from an education fund for judges.

The legal wrangling has been ongoing for years as judges strive to maintain independence through a tribunal established to set their pay, to avoid the politics of government getting in the way.

Provincial court judges make about $300,000 a year, while those with the Supreme Court, who are paid by the feds, are closer to $400,000 a year.