Courts

Against The Doctor's Orders: Judge Pauline Newman Suspended For A Year By Her Coworkers

This is gonna make small talk around the Keurig a little more awkward.

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Pauline Newman, a 95-year-old judge on the U.S. Court Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in her office on May 03 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)Court

Bad news if you’ve been following Pauline Newman’s workplace treatment. If you’d like a brief recap, the articles in the “Earlier” section will help. Take the time to read them by all means, but this time skimming the article titles would also do the trick. There’s been a new development in Pauline Newman’s battle against her coworkers for the right to do her job. From Reuters:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Wednesday suspended Judge Pauline Newman from hearing new cases amid a deepening clash over the 96-year-old jurist’s mental competence to serve on the bench.

A council of judges on the Washington, D.C., court unanimously said Newman had failed to cooperate with an investigation into her fitness and barred her from hearing new cases for at least one year or until she sits for court-ordered medical examinations.
…

Newman has defended her fitness, citing the opinions of two doctors, and filed a lawsuit in a separate Washington court seeking to move or halt the investigation.Newman’s attorney Greg Dolin said the council was “ignoring data or information or opinions that are inconsistent with its predetermined goals and outcomes,” and that the judge would challenge the order and continue to press her claims in court.

Judges have a reputation for being learned to uphold. It’s a nice hat trick to play Judge House and find the who-would-have-thought-of-that diagnoses to legal maladies, but the panel really should leave the medical evaluations up to the actual professionals. Their findings aren’t really matching up with the symptoms presented — they should leave the health evaluations to the two medical professionals that were consulted.

There were the accusations of a heart attack which a quick doctor’s scan debunked, accusations of Judge Newman not submitting to medical evaluations which doesn’t really square with both aforementioned doctors — one of whom had to point out that the committee misapplied his findings — and that’s before you factor in Newman’s presentation at a recent and high-profile vaccine conference that was assessed as “inspiring,” a far cry from someone who looks like they’re experiencing serious mental and physical problems. What new information does the committee think a third or fourth opinion will bring? Seriously, if you want to go after a DC official entrusted with high responsibilities whose health makes you wonder if they can do the job, I’ve got the guy for you:

US Appeals Judge, 96, Suspended In Rare Clash Over Fitness [Reuters]

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Earlier: Pauline Newman Speaks At Vaccine Law Conference
A Lifetime-Appointed Judge Was Accused Of Not Being Able To Do Her Job. She Brought Receipts.
Pauline Newman’s Doctor Has Some Choice Words For The Judicial Panel That Ruled Against Her
Despite Her Cooperation, Panel Decides To Suspend Pauline Newman For A Year
Pauline Newman’s Dissents Get More Attention Than Her Coworkers Making Up Medical Conditions About Her

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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