Rogue Judges Handed Loss In Bid To Remove Their Colleague– thefederalist.com

A 99-year-old federal judge scored a major win on Tuesday in her fight against an “unconstitutional” effort to remove her from the bench.

According to a new court order, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts transferred the judicial misconduct case of Federal Circuit Court Judge Pauline Newman from the Federal Circuit to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Newman has served on the Federal Circuit for more than 40 years and is currently the oldest serving federal judge in the country.

The entire debacle began in March 2023, when Federal Circuit Chief Judge Kimberly Moore and the Federal Circuit Judicial Council suspended Newman over alleged concerns regarding her mental and physical health. Despite protests from Newman and her counsel, the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), this indefinite suspension — which remains ongoing — has barred the Reagan appointee from partaking in cases brought before the court.

Newman and NCLA challenged her suspension and the Judicial Council’s actions as unlawful. They argued that the body’s de-facto removal of Newman was unconstitutional and violated provisions of the 1980 Judicial Council Reform and Judicial Conduct and Disability Act (“the Disability Act“), which governs the process for filing misconduct and disability complaints against federal judges.