WASHINGTON: At 95, US federal circuit judge Pauline Newman, who was appointed by president Ronald Reagan, is the oldest sitting federal judge in the United States.

Now, some of her colleagues — worried about her mental competency — say it’s time for her to go.

But Newman is fighting back, sparking an ongoing legal fight around her refusal to step down from the lifetime post.

She filed a suit earlier this month challenging a complaint by a panel of fellow justices that she is no longer able to discharge her duties because of “mental or physical disability”. Newman insisted she remains fully capable of handling cases and is as productive as other members of the US court of appeals for the federal circuit.

She also accused the judicial panel seeking her removal of violating the constitution, which gives only Congress the power to impeach judges.

Newman has served on the court since 1984. She is a leading authority on intellectual property law, the author of rulings in several landmark cases.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2023