Rare probe launched into judge's competency and misconduct on Federal Circuit.

Judge Pauline Newman, a federal appeals judge in Washington, D.C., is under investigation by her own court for alleged misconduct and incompetence. The investigation was launched after half of the court's active judges expressed concern about Newman's mental fitness. Newman, who is 95, is a leading intellectual property law jurist and a prominent dissenter on the patent-focused Federal Circuit. It is highly unusual for a U.S. judge to face a complaint from a colleague on the bench, especially on an issue as delicate as their competence to serve.