recuse

Intermediate ⚖️ Legal

Definition

When a judge voluntarily removes themselves from a case due to a conflict of interest or appearance of bias. Professional self-awareness in judicial form.

Example Usage

The judge recused herself because her brother was the defendant's attorney.

Origin

From Latin 'recusare' meaning 'to refuse' or 'to object to'

Fun Fact

While judges can recuse themselves, parties can also file motions to disqualify judges, though these are rarely successful and often just annoy the remaining judges on the bench.

Source: Judicial ethics terminology

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