Posted 9/20/2023, 2:57:00 PM
Federal Judge Pauline Newman, 96, Suspended Amid Unusual Mental Fitness Probe
- U.S. Judge Pauline Newman, 96, suspended by Federal Circuit court amid investigation into her mental fitness
- Newman accused of failing to cooperate with competency probe and barred from new cases for 1 year
- Newman has defended her fitness, citing doctors' opinions, and sued to halt the investigation
- Dispute over judges' mental competence is highly unusual and raises issues of aging judiciary
- Newman is respected patent law expert; suspension called "not a fitting capstone" to her storied career