This morning the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability of the Judicial Conference of the United States released a memorandum of decision unanimously denying a petition filed by Judge Newman. That petition asked the Committee to review the order of the Federal Circuit’s Judicial Council that suspended Judge Newman for the period of at least one year. Today’s memorandum includes the following findings:
- “We find that the Chief Circuit Judge and the Federal Circuit Judicial Council did not abuse their discretion by declining to request a transfer”;
- “we find no error in the Judicial Council’s conclusion that, based on the evidence gathered by the Special Committee, there was a reasonable basis for requesting that Judge Newman undergo a medical evaluation;” and
- “[w]e find that the sanction is consistent with sanctions imposed in a variety of contexts under the Act, and a one-year suspension of cases is not grossly in excess of other suspensions imposed under the [Judicial Conduct and Disability] Act.”
Here is the introduction and a link to the memorandum.