The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the decisive vote in a California pay dispute case before a lower court doesn’t count -- because the vote came from a judge who died before the ruling was issued. STEPHEN REINHARDT, CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE, 'PROGRESSIVE ICON,' DIES AT 87Judge Stephen Reinhardt, who was seen as a progressive icon on the bench, heard the dispute and participated in a preliminary vote. The appeals court then issued an opinion in his name nine days after he passed away in March 2018. But the high court, vacating the decision of a federal appeals court, said Monday that “federal judges are appointed for life, not for eternity.”“The upshot is that Judge Reinhardt’s vote made a difference,” said the Supreme Court in its unsigned ruling. Reinhardt died of a heart attack last year during a visit to a dermatologist in Los Angeles, the court spokesperson said.

Source: Fox News February 25, 2019 17:25 UTC