US Supreme Court won't reconsider ruling by judge facing competency probe

June 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by inventor Franz Wakefield to challenge a patent ruling on the grounds that one of the judges who issued the decision is now facing a probe into her fitness to serve on the bench.

The high court rejected Wakefield's argument that the investigation of Judge Pauline Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit raised due process concerns that required a new hearing in his case.

The justices denied the petition without issuing a written opinion.

Wakefield said in an email responding to the the order that U.S. institutions were stacked in favor of corporations and the wealthy, and that constitutional protections were under fire.

The Federal Circuit revealed the probe into Newman's competency in April. Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Kimberly Moore said in court orders that Newman, who is 96, had shown signs of impaired judgment and physical and cognitive decline.

Newman has denied the claims and sued in Washington, D.C., federal court to stop the probe.

Wakefield sued Meta, Microsoft, IBM and other tech companies in Delaware federal court in 2019, claiming they infringed his patent related to presenting hyperlinks within videos. The Delaware court invalidated the patent in 2021, and a three-judge Federal Circuit panel that included Newman affirmed the decision without comment last year.

Wakefield initially petitioned the Supreme Court in February to hear his case. After the petition was declined in May, he asked the high court to reconsider, citing the Federal Circuit's newly-public probe into Newman's competency.

"The Constitution guarantees to all litigants a fair and impartial hearing," Wakefield said in his May filing. "The presence of a judge with a mental disability on the appeal panel consisting of colleague judges who believe that she is disabled undermines this fundamental principle."

Wakefield represented himself in the case.

The case is Wakefield d/b/a CoolTVNetwork.com v. Blackboard Inc, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 22-819.

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