News

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

  • an ABC News article discussing why Judge Newman “was barred from hearing cases for at least a year”;
  • a CBS News article discussing how Judge Newman “was suspended from hearing cases for one year after she refused to undergo medical examinations and turn over medical records”;
  • a Law 360 article highlighting how some are calling Judge Newman’s suspension “an unfortunate outcome in a difficult case”; and
  • an “Open Letter to Circuit Judges on the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit” authored by Randall R. Rader, former Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit.

Nadine El-Bawab wrote an article for ABC News discussing why Judge Newman “was barred from hearing cases for at least a year.” El-Bawab focused on how “evidence establishes reasonable concerns that Judge Newman suffers from a disability preventing her from effectively discharging the duties of her office.”

Melissa Quinn authored a similar article for CBS News discussing how Judge Newman “was suspended from hearing cases for one year after she refused to undergo medical examinations and turn over medical records.” As explained by Quinn, “the judge filed a lawsuit against [Chief Judge] Moore and two other judges on the Federal Circuit that accused them of taking unconstitutional actions against her.”

Ryan Davis wrote an article for Law360 highlighting how some are calling Judge Newman’s suspension “an unfortunate outcome in a difficult case.” According to Davis, experts have stated that the outcome “raises questions about the acrimonious process and does not reflect well on the courts.”

Randall R. Rader, former Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit, wrote an “Open Letter to Circuit Judges on the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit” published by IP Watchdog. Rader discusses how, “[i]f one of the members of our judicial ‘family’ suffers some kind of health event, our first action should be to rush to help.” Rader pleads with the court’s judges to “please make the court—OUR court—an institution with the compassion to care for each of its members.”