Senile Judges Get Ninth Circuit’s Attention

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hosts regular seminars led by neurological experts, has established a hotline for federal judges and staff to get advice about dealing with colleagues showing signs of senility and has asked employees to designate friends or family who can intervene in the case of mental decline. “[I]f the goal is to work until you are no longer able, you will work a couple of years too long,” said Judge William Canby, now 84, who retired a few years ago for fear of slipping mentally while sitting on the bench. Because federal judges are appointed for life, and may only be removed by Congressional impeachment, “we’re an organization that is required to police ourselves,” said Phyllis Hamilton, chief judge in the Northern District of California and head of the Ninth Circuit’s wellness committee. Life expectancy is now 79 years old, and many judges are beyond that, something critics cite in calling for a mandatory retirement age or term limits on federal judges.