A 96-year-old judge has been suspended after a bitter fight that rocked a key federal court

Wed, 09/20/2023 - 14:11

Judge Pauline Newman in her chambers. — Pauline Newman, a 96-year-old judge on the U.S. Court Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, with mementos in her office in Washington, DC.
Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Staff said Judge Pauline Newman, 96, was "losing it, mentally" after 39 years on the bench.
Newman fought against the investigation. Some colleagues said she's as sharp as ever.
But a 11-judge council ruled today that Newman can't hear new cases for a year.

A group of 11 judges barred a long-serving US appellate judge from hearing new cases for a year after failing to cooperate with an investigation into whether health issues prevent her from keeping up with the job's demands.