By
Updated on: June 15, 2026 / 10:32 AM EDT
/ CBS News
Add CBS News on Google
Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away Judge Pauline Newman's bid to return to service on a federal appeals court after she was suspended from hearing cases due to concerns about her fitness to serve.Newman, who is 98, has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit since 1984. Established in 1982, the Federal Circuit hears appeals in cases involving international trade, patents, trademarks, veterans' benefits and money claims against the U.S. government. Across her more than four decades on the Federal Circuit, Newman has authored more than 300 dissenting opinions, earning her the nickname the "Great Dissenter."But three years ago, the Judicial Council for the Federal Circuit, which consists of the circuit judges in active service, suspended Newman from hearing cases. The court's chief judge, Kimberly Moore, also told Newman she could either retire or consider senior status, a form of semi-retirement in which judges take on a lighter caseload. After Newman refused either option, Moore entered an order that identified a judicial complaint against the then-96-year-old judge and found "there is probable cause to believe that Judge Newman's health has left her without the capacity to perform the work of an active judge and that her habitual delays are prejudicial to the efficient administration of justice."
