"96-Year-Old US Appeals Judge Suspended Amid Mental Fitness Controversy"

U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman, aged 96, has been suspended from hearing new cases by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit amid a dispute over her mental competence. The judge has been accused of failing to cooperate with an investigation into her fitness, and the council of judges unanimously decided to suspend her for at least one year or until she undergoes court-ordered medical examinations. This rare clash over competency raises questions about the aging federal judiciary, whose members are appointed for life and cannot be forced to retire.