The oldest federal judge in the US is 95-year-old Pauline Newman of the US Federal Circuit, who was chosen by President Ronald Reagan.
Some of her coworkers now believe it’s time for her to go since they are concerned about her mental capacity.
However, Newman is pushing back, starting a court spat over her reluctance to resign from the lifelong position.
This month, she filed a lawsuit to contest a claim made by a group of her colleagues justices that she is no longer capable of carrying out her responsibilities due to “mental or physical disability.”
She is as effective as the other members of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, according to Newman, and she is still completely capable of handling cases.
She also claimed that the court panel seeking her dismissal had violated the US Constitution, which states that only Congress has the authority to remove judges from office.
Since 1984, Newman has been a member of the court. She has authored decisions in a number of important cases and is a prominent expert on intellectual property law.
However, a three-judge court panel dismissed Newman’s protests on Tuesday and highlighted a number of instances of what they said were her decreased skills.
According to the court employees, “many staff members have expressed concerns that Judge Newman cannot consistently remember how to carry out simple tasks, such as logging into the computer network.”
They said, “Many staff members who deal with Judge Newman in the course of the court’s business have expressed concerns about her understanding, confusion, short term memory loss, agitation, and lack of concentration.
The panel demanded that Newman should to a neurologist who would determine if she had a cognitive impairment and to undergo a “full battery of neuropsychological testing.”
She was given until May 23 to let the committee know whether she would cooperate or face punishment.
“The litigants whose rights are at stake in the cases before this court deserve to have confidence that the judges ruling on their cases do not suffer from a cognitive impairment,” the statement said.