Federal Circuit refuses to hand Judge Newman fresh cases

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Federal Circuit refuses to hand Judge Newman fresh cases

FederalCircuitNewmanCOVEr.jpg

The Federal Circuit will also narrow its investigation into Judge Newman to focus on whether her failure to cooperate constitutes misconduct

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has refused Judge Pauline Newman’s request to be assigned new cases, it emerged yesterday, June 5.

The court’s judicial council issued an order yesterday saying that Newman, who is 95, shouldn’t be assigned new cases at this time.

It is the latest development in the court’s investigation, which first emerged in April.

The council had previously voted not to assign new cases to Newman in March. But in May, the judge asked to immediately be restored to the rotation of new case assignments.

The committee investigating Newman – which includes Chief Judge Kimberly Moore, Judge Sharon Prost, and Judge Richard Taranto – then referred Newman’s request to the council.

Increased concerns

“The council’s concerns about Judge Newman’s abnormally large backlog of cases and her apparent inability to issue opinions in a timely fashion have not abated. To the contrary, they have increased,” the council stated in the June 5 order.

According to the order, Newman had a backlog of seven opinions. Three have been pending for more than 200 days and the rest have been pending for more than 100 days.

“Four of them, moreover, are cases submitted without argument that are generally among the most expeditiously resolved. These are all opinions which she assigned to herself yet has been unable to circulate to the panels for vote,” the council stated.

Newman authored 28 opinions, including concurrences and dissents, between October 1, 2021 and March 24, 2023, while other active judges wrote an average of 61, according to the order.

She also took an average of 199 days to issue opinions, whereas others had taken 58 days.

“The council is concerned that assigning additional cases to Judge Newman now will only interfere with her ability to clear her current backlog and exacerbate delays in her already long-delayed opinions.

“This is not a censure but rather a decision made for the effective and expeditious administration of the business of the court.”

The council’s order stated that action was warranted under Section 332 of Title 28 of the US Code, which gives a judicial council the authority to “make all necessary and appropriate orders for the effective and expeditious administration of justice within its circuit”.

The US Supreme Court recognised in the 1970 case Chandler v Judicial Council that federal courts could prevent judges with backlogs from being assigned new cases, according to the order.

The document published yesterday also referenced previous allegations that Newman lacked the mental fitness to do her job.

It stated that the council didn’t need to decide at this time whether those concerns alone would justify its order for her not to be assigned new cases.

Orders revealed

The court also released orders yesterday that had previously been under seal.

Among those was an order from the investigating committee on June 1 that said it would narrow its investigation to focus on whether Newman’s failure to cooperate with orders to undergo medical examinations and provide medical records constituted misconduct.

Although the investigation is not currently focused on whether Newman has a disability that prevents her from doing her job, the committee stated that it has strong evidence suggesting that she does.

But the committee believes it is important to obtain input from independent medical professionals.

“Because narrowing the focus of further proceedings to the question of misconduct dramatically narrows the issues at stake, the committee believes that this approach will also necessarily result in a more streamlined process”, the June 1 order that was previously under seal stated.

Newman can submit a brief by July 5 addressing whether her actions constituted misconduct.

The committee will hear oral arguments from Newman’s counsel on July 13, but those will be confidential.

The June 1 order came after a separate order published on May 26, in which Judge Moore stated that there was sufficient evidence that Newman had failed to cooperate and had committed additional misconduct.

Among the documents also released yesterday was a letter from Newman’s counsel that had originally been published on May 25.

The letter stated that Newman would undergo necessary testing and provide records if she was immediately restored to her rights and duties as a judge and the investigation was transferred to the judicial council of another circuit.

All documents released yesterday have been published on the court’s website.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Exclusive data reveals law firms are failing to go above and beyond for their corporate clients, with in-house counsel saying advisers should consider more transparent billing processes
Arty Rajendra and Gary Moss discuss why ‘thorough and intense’ preparation, plus the odd glass of wine, led to a record FRAND victory for their client
Monday’s coverage includes news of a potentially 'game-changing' trademark development in China and how practitioners are using AI
Managing IP gives a taster of the numbers behind this year’s IP STARS trademark rankings, and looks back at our 2025 award winners
Updates from IP offices, the shifting requirements of in-house counsel, and news of London 2026 were among major talking points on Sunday
Etienne Sanz de Acedo discusses the association’s three-year plan, what he is looking forward to in San Diego, and why London came calling for 2026
Professionals from three organisations reveal what led them to sponsor Brand Action and why doing so can build camaraderie
The results of a UK government consultation on the exhaustion of IP rights and an annual review published by the EPO’s Boards of Appeal were also among the top talking points this week
The decision disregards Perlmutter’s work at the US Copyright Office and comes at a time when strong leadership and expertise are crucial
Sources say the decision to fire Shira Perlmutter raises constitutional concerns and speculate on what the decision could mean for the country’s approach to AI
Gift this article