Newman Sanction Renews Debate Over Aging Judges’ Lifetime Tenure

The recent sanction and suspension of Pauline Newman, the nation’s oldest active federal judge, reignited a debate over whether there should be changes to the laws and rules around lifetime appointments.

The 96-year-old Newman, who has served on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit since 1984, was suspended for one year by the court’s Judicial Council on Sept. 20 for not submitting to medical testing as part of a disability and misconduct investigation launched earlier this year into her fitness to continue serving on the bench.

The investigation—which has played out in an unusually public way—has divided ...