Mental Fitness Concerns Drive Bid to Oust 95-Year-Old Judge (2)

A 95-year-old Federal Circuit judge is facing the unusual prospect of being ousted over concerns that she’s no longer fit to do her job.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Friday confirmed that Chief Judge Kimberly A. Moore had filed a misconduct complaint against Judge Pauline Newman, the most prolific writer of dissents in the history of the court and a champion of strong patent rights. A statement from the court said an investigation process is underway into what court documents describe as Newman’s potential cognitive impairment.

The announcement from what’s commonly considered the nation’s ...