206
submitted 2 years ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

A 96-year-old U.S. federal appeals court judge was barred Wednesday from hearing cases for a year after a panel said she refused to undergo medical testing amid concerns that she is no longer mentally fit to serve on the bench.

It’s the latest development in an unusually public and bitter fight over whether Judge Pauline Newman should continue to serve on the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that has sparked a lawsuit and turned judges against one another.

Newman, a President Ronald Reagan appointee who has been on the court for nearly four decades, insists that she remains physically and mentally fit to decide matters of the law, and has accused her colleagues of making baseless claims in an effort to push her out because of her age.

top 24 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Ilovethebomb@lemmy.ml 89 points 2 years ago

America in general seems to have a massive problem with absolute geriatrics refusing to make way for the next generation. Their politicians, lawmakers, judges, all older than the hills.

[-] Fisk400@feddit.nu 34 points 2 years ago

It's because the system for choosing successors are bad and random. If she quits now her successor will be a Biden appointee and she doesn't want that. If they set a retirement age and regularly had roundups where each party gets to choose judges based on number of seats they have things would be a lot more shill.

That is if republicans honestly engaged with the systems. We know they don't which is why nothing will ever work.

[-] paultimate14@lemmy.world 31 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

She's 96. She should have retired when Bush was president of that was her concern.

[-] Ilovethebomb@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 years ago

OK, that explains a lot actually. Do you think she'll try and hold on another four years if Biden gets reelected?

[-] Fisk400@feddit.nu 17 points 2 years ago

Lets see if she can hold on until the election. at 96 you shouldn't bet on them being around for another month. she will try to hold on for as long as possible but the grim reaper generally dont care about your schedule.

[-] BorgDrone@lemmy.one 3 points 2 years ago

At 96 she shouldn’t buy any green bananas.

[-] ohlaph@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

We really do. The millennials need to step up. I'm finishing my degree and am considering a post bachelorette in political science or something similar to get into politics. It's frustrating to see such an aged population making decisions they won't have to live with.

[-] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago
[-] ohlaph@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Damn autocorrect.. yea. I'm going to leave it because I deserve that.

[-] Tedesche@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Mitt Romney just stepped down, citing that very reason. The U.K. has a freaking House of Lords and a Monarch that serves no purpose. Don’t throw stones.

[-] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Some of those people either can't afford to retire or have actually returned to the workforce due to a combination of inflation, inadequate safety nets, and the fact that 401ks have not filled the gap created when companies stopped providing pensions.

[-] GentlemanLoser@ttrpg.network 85 points 2 years ago

Why aren't we more suspicious of the personality type that wants to work til they die at their post?

[-] alvvayson@lemmy.world 65 points 2 years ago

"Life appointments" should really only extend to something like age 75, with yearly mental fitness tests after the social security age.

[-] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 38 points 2 years ago

she was asked to undergo medical fitness test but refused

[-] ChaosCharlie@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 years ago

The lady doth protest too much, methinks

[-] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago

I agree with it except for the mental fitness test.

Tests like that is only going to be used as political fodder.

Just set it at an age. You get to finish out the year's session after you turn 70 but after that, you aren't qualified. Go enjoy your life!

[-] BorgDrone@lemmy.one 3 points 2 years ago

Just link it to the legal retirement age.

[-] REdOG@lemmy.world 52 points 2 years ago

Sounds like she has a problem being judged by others I don't believe it a coincidence.

[-] stopthatgirl7@kbin.social 35 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I do not understand why someone in their dang 90s does not retire. Spend your days like my great-grandma did before she passed: time with your family and drinking whiskey on your porch.

[-] electrogamerman@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago

Money combined with low stress tasks, probably.

You can imagine the kind of tasks and stress she has that she can allow herself to work until 96.

You think a person in retail, engineering or whatever low to middle income position would want to work until 96?

[-] ohlaph@lemmy.world 33 points 2 years ago

96.. let that sink in. Way too old to making any legal decisions.

[-] anewbeginning@lemmy.world 28 points 2 years ago

96?! Just go home already.

[-] pigup@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago

She belongs in a museum. Jfc GTFO you dinosaur.

[-] Yokozuna@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I see what they're doing. Stress her out enough to kill her. Classic.

this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
206 points (100.0% liked)

News

36018 readers
2285 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious biased sources will be removed at the mods’ discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted separately but not to the post body. Sources may be checked for reliability using Wikipedia, MBFC, AdFontes, GroundNews, etc.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source. Clickbait titles may be removed.


Posts which titles don’t match the source may be removed. If the site changed their headline, we may ask you to update the post title. Clickbait titles use hyperbolic language and do not accurately describe the article content. When necessary, post titles may be edited, clearly marked with [brackets], but may never be used to editorialize or comment on the content.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials, videos, blogs, press releases, or celebrity gossip will be allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Mods may use discretion to pre-approve videos or press releases from highly credible sources that provide unique, newsworthy content not available or possible in another format.


7. No duplicate posts.


If an article has already been posted, it will be removed. Different articles reporting on the same subject are permitted. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners or news aggregators.


All posts must link to original article sources. You may include archival links in the post description. News aggregators such as Yahoo, Google, Hacker News, etc. should be avoided in favor of the original source link. Newswire services such as AP, Reuters, or AFP, are frequently republished and may be shared from other credible sources.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS