SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The California Supreme Court is taking the unusual step of disqualifying itself from considering a case. The justices issued an order Monday recusing themselves from a lawsuit over tens of millions of dollars in back pay and benefits to the state’s judges. The justices have previously all recused themselves only twice in the past 30 years. The court did not explain its decision, but the lawsuit also affects the salaries of state Supreme Court justices. The case involves a 2014 lawsuit by a former judge who alleged California underpaid its judges from 2008 through 2016 as it made cuts during the recession. The state Supreme Court will assign judges who first took office after July 2017 to decide whether to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling.