Judge Newman’s Upheld Suspension Has Some Questioning Ethics Law

A rare decision affirming the suspension of a federal appeals court judge unleashed a flurry of calls to change the statutory framework for evaluating judges for potential disability and misconduct—though there’s much less agreement on which direction changes should go.

The US Judicial Conference’s Committee on Conduct and Disability upheld the suspension of 96-year-old Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman for not participating with her colleagues’ investigation of her under the Judicial Conduct & Disability Act. It was just the third written decision issued by the panel in more than three years. The committee applied a deferential standard for its review ...