Democrats were able to get President Joe Biden to step aside after a pressure campaign. But it’s much more difficult to force out a federal judge.
At the age of 97, Judge Pauline Newman is the oldest full-time federal judge on the bench, but despite concerns about her ability to do the job, her colleagues are struggling to get rid of her.
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When Democrats decided after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance that he was no longer fit to serve at the top of the ticket, a multifaceted pressure campaign was able to convince him to step aside.
But federal judges, as well as Supreme Court justices, have lifetime appointments and there is no easy process for easing them aside.
With people generally living longer, a lifetime appointment can now last many decades. The average age of a federal judge is 69, according to a recent study, and there is no clean way to force someone to step down.
That’s not really a good idea… Just because life expectancy could go up doesn’t mean that a person’s cognitive function will remain the same if they live longer.
A senator could have the mental capacity of a toddler at 110 even if the life expectancy at the time were 150.
Even if we have super geniuses at 150 we should still be giving control of the government to people under 70. Let the “young” run the country.