Eventually, in 2016, the Judicial Council issued an order barring Adams from taking on new cases for two years, and allowed the investigative committee to monitor his behavior for two years. The order also indicated that should Adams continue to refuse a mental health evaluation, it would request he retire voluntarily. In August this year, the Judicial Conference panel upheld that order, in a matter of first impression, though it vacated the two-year ban on new cases for Adams.
In addition to Fifth Amendment claims, Adams claims that a compelled psychiatric exam is equivalent to a search and seizure, and therefore would also violate his Fourth Amendment rights. He also claims the orders, “constitute an attempt to remove [him] from office” in violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers principle, among other charges.
