Poet laureate and Wordsworth died. Edward Gibbon condemned the position's artificial approach to poetry: The salary has varied, but traditionally includes some alcohol. Ben Jonson first received a pension of 100 marks, and later an annual "terse of Canary wine". Dryden had a pension of £300 and a butt of Canary wine. Pye received £27 instead of the wine. Tennyson drew £72 a year from the Lord Chamberlain's department, and £27 from the Lord Steward's "in lieu of the butt of sack". The current annual salary is £5,750. The present laureate is Carol Ann Duffy, appointed in May 2009. The United Kingdom
Poet Laureate of New Jersey McGreevey on July 2, 2003 and it became effective immediately. Baraka ceased being poet laureate on that date. Baraka proceeded to file a civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988 and 28 U.S.C. § 2201 in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey to challenge his dismissal and the elimination of the post supported by allegations that his free speech rights had been violated and alleged that McGreevey and other state officials had retaliated against him. However, U.S. District Court Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr., dismissed Baraka's claim citing that he failed to