This didn't happen overnight, if it's this bad now then her judgement has been compromised for a long time.
We need term limits, because once these (completely normal) mental changes start happening, the person will almost always react with aggression and refuse to ever step down.
Anyone who's dealt with someone with early dementia will recognize this behavior. I can empathize with those suffering from it, because my own mind slipping away would be incredibly frustrating. But if you're a danger to yourself and others someone needs to stop you, whether its to keep you from driving or to keep you from presiding over trials.
We need a mandatory retirement age for federal appointees, fucking immediately.
I work in higher education, coordinating advanced degree programs. This situation makes me think of half a dozen research faculty I know personally that behave the exact same way.
I'm not of the opinion that people of advanced age are automatically less competent, but it's a fact that age-related cognitive decline is a thing. People persisting in important decision-making positions after such decline cause immense and compounding problems.
It'll never happen, but I'd love for us to collectively decide that a particular age range is the end of a person's professional life and the beginning of something new and exciting and also dignified. I'm aware of the cultural reasons that it can't happen in this particular time and place, but it would improve things a lot if it could.
there used to be tenure with sanity; it was rare for faculty to stay on after their abilities started to wane. Then came the boomers.
Why do these old people constantly feel the need to work? I'm trying to retire the moment I can and enjoy the rest of my life.
Power. The moment they retire they give up the ability to control people's lives.
You ever heard the phrase "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"?
Well some people love being abusive pieces of shit.
Then create a culture that isn’t reliant on working to make money just for basic necessities.
It should be possible considering we have some money hoarders hoarding enough that we shouldn’t have people going hungry and enough houses that people shouldn’t be homeless.
Yet we do.
Tax the rich.
Imagine you go to court and this fossil at 96 is the one who determines your fate. Imagine if you catch her on an off day and she thinks you stole her computer, her files or other nonsense she's accused court staff of doing (the only thing that's been stolen is her marbles, and it looks like they went a few years back)
Get these shocking people out of the courts and into the nursing home where they belong
How many people have been wrongly convicted or harshly sentenced because of this woman's dementia?
In this case I don't think any, because she worked in patents. But don't take that as me defending nonagenarians still working in government.
None. Could you at least read the article before making a dumb comment like this?
Lol no. How else are they supposed to participate in a good old fashioned comment section circle jerk?
Bro. Read. Read the article.... So desperate to say something you'll say anything at all, even if you appear stupid.
Should just make the retirement age for these people 65. Everyone. Senators. Presidents. Want to get a job in an advisory role after that? Cool, at least then we have a filter for the madness and your dementia can't fuck anyone over directly.
Is the occupation of judge so badly compensated, that you can’t retire? What the fuck is wrong with this lady?
I assume she's got nothing else in her life, actually quite sad
She's in severe mental decline? I thought the article made that pretty clear.
What's wrong with the system?
I'm sure there are financial benefits being a federal judge
Let's ask ... Clarence Thomas, shall we?
I think for her it's the ego trip not the money. Same thing Bader-Ginsburg did which gave us Kavanagh.
Technology is allowing us to live "longer," but not necessarily "better."
We shouldn't be ruled by geriatrics. Age limits need to be a thing.
Geez. Just step down and run for Congress or the Executive at this point.
Presidential material right there
There needs to be an age limit for these positions. Sounds like she should have retired 25 years ago.
People don't realize that Judge Judy isn't even a caricature. It is shockingly easy to just up and up become a judge.
Quick solution for situations like this: compulsive retirement.
65 years old? Get out of here or get thrown out.
Disagree-ish.
I would suggest that, instead, after a certain age or catastrophic loss (such as that of a lifetime partner) we should all be receiving regular competency / cognizants evaluations. I think that compulsive retirement would be dehumanizing, a potential trigger for senility, dementia, or suicide, and a negligent misappropriation of the experience and institutional knowledge, that many of our seniors hold.
I hope she doesn't drive a vehicle to work.
Term limits
I'm all for term limits and an end to lifetime appointments, but maybe it's time we start pulling back on the idea that people are useless and incompetent the moment they turn 65. I don't really think putting an expiration date on human beings is a good thing.
What does your comment have to do with the article? She's 94 and is pretty obviously in mental decline...
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