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It's true that Superior Court Judge William Z. Wood of Clemmons did not agree to let the state cut his pay by 0.5 percent as requested by Gov. Beverly Perdue.

But Wood says he has sent the state a check for 0.5 percent of his $124,382 salary.

Wood was one of about two dozen North Carolina judges on a list of judges who had not agreed to the same pay cut that state employees are absorbing. Most of the state's judges agreed to the pay cut, including all of the judges on the N.C. Supreme Court and the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Perdue had ordered such cuts for state employees to cope with a budget shortfall. But the governor does not have the authority under the state constitution to alter the salaries of elected officials, such as judges.

Wood told Dome today that he declined to go through the procedure for having his pay cut for two reasons. First, he said, he was not confident that the state would properly handle adjustments to tax withholding and retirement accounts caused by a pay cut.

But more important, he said, was his concern for the state constitutional restriction against altering judges pay during their term. He said it was in the constitution to protect against retribution for an unpopular decision by a judge.

"I've always put a big emphasis on the constitution, both state and federal," Wood said. "I'm reluctant to waive a constitutional protection."

But Wood said he did "want to show my solidarity with state employees" who were taking a pay cut. So he wrote a check and mailed it to the state.