U.S. Supreme Court Rejects 98-Year-Old Judge's Bid to Reinstatement The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a petition from 98-year-old Judge Pauline Newman, who sought to overturn her suspension from duties in 2023. The justices ruled Monday that her appeal of a lower court’s decision rejecting her challenge to her suspension would not be considered. Newman, a retired judge with a long career in patent law, had argued that her suspension violated her constitutional rights and sought reinstatement to her position on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Newman’s suspension followed an investigation into her fitness to serve, which began in 2023. A panel of Federal Circuit judges cited staff reports detailing concerns about her cognitive abilities, including memory loss, confusion, paranoia, and episodes of anger. These findings were part of a broader review by the court’s judicial council, led by Chief Judge Kimberly Moore. The council unanimously voted to suspend Newman after determining she refused to cooperate with the investigation. The suspension remains in effect, despite her ongoing legal challenges. Newman, appointed to the Federal Circuit in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, has maintained that she is fit to serve. She filed a lawsuit against Moore and the judicial council, arguing that the Federal Circuit overstepped its authority by suspending her. A federal judge dismissed her case in 2024, ruling that courts have consistently affirmed the judiciary’s self-policing authority. This decision was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2025. The Judicial Conference of the United States, which oversees judicial conduct and disability matters, also confirmed the validity of Newman’s suspension.#u_s_supreme_court #federal_circuit #pauline_newman #kimberly_moore #judicial_conference_of_the_united_states
98-year-old federal judge suspended for mental fitness appeals to Supreme Court Pauline Newman, a 98-year-old federal appeals judge suspended by her colleagues over concerns about her mental fitness, has asked the Supreme Court to step into her fight to resume hearing cases, her lawyers said Thursday. Three years ago, Newman’s fellow judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit prevented her from taking on new cases indefinitely. Newman has sued them, arguing it’s unconstitutional. The years-long battle has given a glimpse into how the judicial system grapples with issues of age on the bench, at a time when questions about elected officials’ mental fitness is looming large in Washington. Newman rejects the notion she is unfit to serve, and she wants the Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that barred judicial review of her suspension. “Other judges who are watching what is happening to Judge Newman can only wonder if a similar fate will befall them if they fail to stay on the good side of their chief judge,” her petition reads. It has not yet been docketed. The Hill received a copy from Newman’s lawyers. The justices will review the request at a closed-door conference in the upcoming months. The high court chooses what cases it hears, and it turns away the vast majority without comment. Then-President Reagan nominated Newman to the newly created Federal Circuit in 1984. It hears appeals on specialty topics, such as intellectual property and government contracts. Newman became especially known for her opinions on patent law, earning her the nickname of the “Great Dissenter.” The Constitution guarantees federal judges their position and salary for life, unless they’re impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate.#supreme_court #federal_circuit #pauline_newman #judicial_conduct_and_disability_act #new_civil_liberties_alliance
