Posts Tagged: "Judge Pauline Newman"

Federal Circuit Special Committee Won’t Open Newman Hearing to the Public

The Special Committee of the Judicial Council of the Federal Circuit that is investigating a complaint identified against Judge Pauline Newman filed an Order today clarifying the scope of its investigation. The Order was in response to a June 15 letter from Newman’s counsel asking for clarification of the narrowed scope of the investigation and also asking that the July 13 hearing be open to the public, which the Committee refused. The Order clarified that “no part of the investigation has been terminated” and that the investigation into whether Newman “suffers from a disability that impairs her ability to perform the duties of her office remains ongoing.” In separate orders issued June 1 and June 5, the Special Committee narrowed the focus of its investigation to whether Newman’s refusal to undergo medical examination and to provide medical records constitutes misconduct, and agreed to publicly release a number of documents at the request of Newman’s counsel, respectively.

Federal Circuit Judicial Council Won’t Restore Newman to Case Assignments

The Judicial Council of the Federal Circuit has denied Judge Pauline Newman’s request to be restored to the rotation of new case assignments pending a Special Committee’s investigation into her fitness to serve on the court. The Committee referred Newman’s request to the Judicial Council, which construed it as a request for reconsideration of its previous decision to preclude the assignment of new cases to Newman, and determined again that she should not be allowed new case assignments.

Moore Claims She’s Not a Complainant in Latest Special Committee Order on Newman Investigation

The Special Committee of the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) that is investigating Judge Pauline Newman over allegations she is unfit to serve on the court issued a redacted order yesterday specifying the behavior they say warrants the probe. Amid calls from Newman’s attorneys and ethics experts to transfer the complaint to a different circuit, a footnote on page one of yesterday’s order somewhat confusingly notes that Chief Judge Moore “did not file a complaint nor is she a complainant. Instead, Chief Judge Moore identified a complaint pursuant to Rule 5, which allows a Chief Judge to initiate the complaint when others have presented allegations establishing probable cause to believe a disability exists.”

Newman Says Moore’s Order Alleging She is Unfit for Court is ‘Riddled with Errors’

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Judge Pauline Newman yesterday filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against CAFC Chief Judge Kimberly Moore and Judges Prost and Taranto, as members of the Special Committee of the Judicial Council of the Federal Circuit appointed by Moore to investigate Newman. The complaint called Moore’s March 24 Order characterizing Newman as being unfit to carry out her duties on the court “riddled with errors” and cited 12 counts warranting claims for relief.

The Campaign Against Judge Newman Underscores the Downfall of the Federal Circuit

How much damage is Chief Judge Moore doing to the institution that is the Federal Circuit? That question is hard to answer in the present, but there is no doubt that she is causing the type of damage that will linger and perhaps ultimately lead to the downfall of the court itself. Even before the latest episode in which Chief Judge Moore has taken it upon herself to impeach Judge Newman, acting as complainant, investigator, witness and decider, it had become common for many in the industry to ask openly whether the Federal Circuit had outlived its usefulness.