Introduced in House — H.R. 10026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10026

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

August 3, 2026

Mr. Issa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To designate courtroom 201 at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building located at 717 Madison Place NW, Washington, DC, as the Pauline Newman Courtroom.

Section 1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Honoring Circuit Judge Pauline Newman Act of 2026.

Sec. 2. Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)

Pauline Newman was born on June 20, 1927, and has devoted more than seven decades to the practice of law and the advancement of American innovation.

(2)

On January 30, 1984, President Ronald Reagan nominated Pauline Newman to be a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 1984, and received her commission on February 28, 1984, becoming the first judge ever appointed directly to that court without previously serving on a predecessor court.

(3)

Judge Newman earned a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College in 1947, a Master of Arts from Columbia University in 1948, a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from Yale University in 1952, and a law degree from New York University School of Law in 1958.

(4)

In 1951, Judge Newman became the first woman holding a doctorate to be hired as a research scientist at the American Cyanamid Company, where she was listed as an inventor on multiple patents, breaking barriers for women in the chemical sciences and presaging her later trailblazing role in patent law.

(5)

From 1954 to 1984, Judge Newman worked at FMC Corporation, ultimately as Director of the Patent, Trademark, and Licensing Department, and was for many years the only woman to serve as chief patent counsel of a major United States corporation.

(6)

From 1961 to 1962, Judge Newman served, on leave from FMC, as a science policy specialist with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), where she advanced international cooperation in scientific research and the protection of intellectual property.

(7)

Judge Newman was a founder and has served in leadership positions in numerous scientific and legal associations and organizations, including the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the United States Trademark Association, the New York Patent Law Association, the National Invention Center, the Judiciary Leadership Development Council, the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court, the Licensing Executives Society, and the International Patent and Trademark Association, among many others.

(8)

Judge Newman has also demonstrated her commitment to the education of future leaders in science and law through her service to educational institutions and related organizations, including the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Vassar College, the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Franklin Pierce Law School, the New York University School of Law, and as Distinguished Professor of Law at the George Mason University School of Law. Judge Newman has trained and mentored a family of 69 current and former law clerks and dozens of interns and judicial scholars, many of whom have gone on to lead distinguished careers in their own right, including law firm partners, public servants, legislators, judges and professors.

(9)

Judge Newman served on a number of governmental advisory committees and other initiatives, including the Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation, the State Department Advisory Committee on International Intellectual Property, the Special Advisory Committee to the Commissioner on Patent Office Procedure and Practice, and the United States Delegation to the Diplomatic Conference on the Revision of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, among others.

(10)

While serving on a presidential advisory committee under President Jimmy Carter, Judge Newman contributed to the effort that ultimately established the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Her important role led to her nomination to that court by President Reagan just a few years later.

(11)

Judge Newman has served as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit since 1984, a tenure of more than 42 years, and she is currently the oldest active Federal judge in U.S. history.

(12)

Over the course of her tenure, Judge Newman has authored more than 1,000 opinions on the Federal Circuit, including more than 300 dissents, making her the most prolific dissenter in the history of the Federal Circuit.

(13)

Judge Newman’s opinions are widely recognized for their rigor and influence, and the Supreme Court of the United States has reversed or vacated a number of Federal Circuit decisions to adopt positions Judge Newman first articulated in dissent.

(14)

Judge Newman’s distinguished service on the Federal Circuit has been recognized by countless people, not least of whom have been her colleagues on the Federal Circuit. A chief judge of the court observed, there can be no doubt that Judge Newman is the heroine of the patent system, and noted that many of her dissents have gone on to become the law. Another chief judge of the Federal Circuit commended her for being a pioneer from the start, and shared that her dissents have great force and often persuade other colleagues over time. Still another former chief judge lauded her longevity and remarked in 2023 that she is as sharp as ever. Another Federal Circuit colleague called her a living legend, who epitomizes excellence, noting that she is a role model for many people in the IP world, and particularly women in IP law. Yet another colleague labeled her an icon, and noted that she is a beautiful writer who demonstrates her views in very forceful, elegant writing. Still another colleague on her court has praised a persistence, a level of scholarship, and an eloquence in her writings that are second to none, and called her both the embodiment of the Federal Circuit, and the conscience of the court. And Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court praised Judge Newman for inspiring women with her intelligence, her diligence, her devotion to a very difficult area of the law.

(15)

Judge Newman’s tremendous contributions to the country, society, science, and the law have been honored on hundreds of occasions throughout her career, with awards including the Wilbur Cross Medal of the Yale University Graduate School; the Jefferson Medal of the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association; the Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Cooperation from the Pacific Industrial Property Association; the American Inns of Court Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Award for Professionalism and Ethics; induction into the Intellectual Property Hall of Fame; and the establishment of the annual Pauline Newman Award by IPWatchdog recognizing lifetime achievement in patent law.

(16)

Judge Newman’s professional accomplishments, distinguished service, thoughtful jurisprudence, remarkable longevity, tremendous courage, and status as an icon, role model, and trailblazer in the American IP community deserve recognition and commendation from a grateful nation.

Sec. 3. Pauline Newman Courtroom

(a) Designation

Courtroom 201 at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building located at 717 Madison Place NW, Washington, DC, shall be known and designated as the Pauline Newman Courtroom.

(b) References

Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to Courtroom 201 at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Pauline Newman Courtroom.