MOVE ALONG

96-Year-Old Judge Who Refuses to Go Is Suspended Over Mental Fitness

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit prohibited Judge Pauline Newman from hearing cases for a year unless she agreed to medical testing.

A 96-year-old federal judge was suspended Wednesday from hearing new cases amid a debate over her mental competence to serve. Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit prohibited Pauline Newman from presiding over cases for a year unless she agreed to medical testing that she has so far resisted. In various reports released by the court, anonymous employees claimed Newman has trouble performing basic tasks and recalling information. They also described “paranoia and angry rants,” alleging that she accused the court of bugging her phone and tried to get a former employee arrested. Newman has sued her colleagues in a bid to stop the inquiry. Her lawyers have stated that her own court should not lead the investigation into her competency, arguing that the committee was only interested in “keeping Judge Newman off the bench via the exercise of raw power.” Conversations about age limits have been widespread recently, most notably for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 90, due to her long-term absence with shingles and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 81, after two public instances of freezing.