A complaint examining whether 99-year-old U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman is fit to remain on the bench has been moved to a different court, Reuters reports. The matter was transferred to the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council, according to The Manila Times and Bloomberg Law News.
The transfer follows what the advocacy group Fix the Court described as a lengthy wait. Law360 reported that the dispute over Newman's suspension now sits with the Eleventh Circuit. Newman sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
The case centers on a complaint about Newman's fitness to serve as a federal judge. The outlets reporting the development did not include further details about the terms of the transfer or the reasons behind it.
The judicial council system allows a regional circuit's council to review complaints about judges within its jurisdiction. Moving the matter to the Eleventh Circuit places the review outside the Federal Circuit, where Newman has served.
Newman, who is 99, has been the subject of an ongoing dispute over her suspension and her ability to continue hearing cases. The reporting does not specify what action, if any, the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council has taken since receiving the matter.
What to watch next is whether the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council issues any ruling or public statement on the complaint, and how the transfer affects the status of Newman's suspension.
