97-year-old judge Pauline Newman takes legal action against suspension over mental fitness

97-year-old judge Pauline Newman takes legal action against suspension over mental fitness (Picture credit: X/@NCLAlegal)

Judge Pauline Newman, the oldest federal judge in America at 97, is challenging her suspension from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as per Fox News.
Newman, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, was temporarily removed from the bench in September 2023 due to concerns about her mental fitness. A panel of judges found her mentally unfit after she reportedly refused to cooperate with an investigation, citing “significant mental deterioration,” including memory loss, confusion, and paranoia.
Newman, however, denies these claims, asserting she is mentally and physically fit to continue serving. Her legal team has argued that the delay in her written opinions was due to her meticulous approach, ensuring they fully reflected her views.
She has also filed a motion to unseal the investigation documents, claiming that her colleagues have threatened her and her legal team with unspecified sanctions for attempting to make the information public.
Newman is being represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a nonprofit civil rights group that believes her suspension was unconstitutional.
They have highlighted independent medical evaluations, including one by renowned neurosurgeon Dr Aaron G Filler, which found no cognitive deficits. The NCLA has argued that Newman’s suspension is unprecedented in American judicial history, asserting that she was removed without due process.
Newman’s case is currently on appeal, with her team urging the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to stop what they describe as unconstitutional actions by the Federal Circuit Judicial Council.