Suspended Judge Newman Urges Appeals Court to End Her Exile

Pauline Newman, the nation’s oldest active federal judge, asked the D.C. Circuit to end a suspension imposed by her colleagues that prevents her from hearing cases at the Federal Circuit.

The 97-year-old judge argued the suspension was essentially a way to strip her of her core duties without formal impeachment proceedings and was, therefore, unconstitutional, according to an opening brief filed Thursday in the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

“Judge Newman has been functionally removed from office,” the brief says. “Removal without impeachment is wholly inconsistent with the Framers’ carefully calibrated system of checks and balances.”

… Newman is represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance.

December 5, 2024

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Originally Published in Bloomberg Law