Standoff Over 95-Year-Old Judge Shows Downside of Lifetime Jobs

The unsightly saga of a federal appeals court’s chief judge trying to unseat a colleague over concerns about health and cognitive impairments is again raising questions around lifetime judicial appointments and what to do when a judge may no longer be capable of performing the work.

Chief Judge Kimberly A. Moore of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the nation’s top court for patent matters, has filed a misconduct complaint against Judge Pauline Newman, 95. The order signed by Moore alleges that court personnel had raised concerns about Newman’s cognitive abilities, that Newman had resisted going on ...