recuse
/rɪˈkjuːz
/verb [with object] chiefly North American
1Challenge (a judge or juror) as unqualified to perform legal duties because of a potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality: he was recused when he referred to the corporation as ‘a bunch of villains’...
- I have increasingly seen cases in which applications to recuse a judge have been made in circumstances where three or four years ago no one would have dreamt of it.
- A notice enclosed with the copy of yesterday's Third Circuit ruling that the court sent to me by mail indicates that a majority of the Third Circuit's active judges is recused from the case.
- If the Judge is indeed recused from death penalty cases, this will make the average Ninth Circuit death penalty case more anti-death-penalty.
1.1 (recuse oneself) (Of a judge) excuse oneself from a case because of a potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality: it was the right of counsel to ask a judge to recuse himself from continuing to hear a case because of bias...
- Mr Justice Newman had concluded that the District Judge should have recused himself and that the Defendant should have recognised the strength and gravity of the impact of this.
- Three judges had recused themselves, and rehearing the case would require the support of a majority of the remaining 23.
- The Plame investigation took a quantum leap in December 2003, when Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself.
Derivatives
recusal
- No doubt he thought that, if he was biased against supporters of a rival, recusal was appropriate and in the interests of those lawyers.
- These mechanisms are those for the disqualification, recusal, or self-recusal of judges.
- Their recusal was also obviously appropriate.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'reject', specifically 'object to a judge as prejudiced'): from Latin recusare 'to refuse', from re- (expressing opposition) + causa 'a cause'. The current sense dates from the early 19th century.