recuse

verb

re·​cuse ri-ˈkyüz 

recused; recusing

transitive verb

: to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case

broadly : to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest

recusal

ri-ˈkyü-zəl 

noun

Did you know?

If you ever find yourself accused of refusing to recuse yourself, look on the bright side: you may be in a legal predicament, but you’ve also got a great occasion to learn some etymology. Accuse and recuse not only share space in the vocabulary of the courtroom, they both ultimately trace back to the Latin word causa, meaning “legal case,” “reason,” or “cause.” The current legal use of recuse to mean “to disqualify (oneself) as a judge” didn’t settle into frequent use until the 19th century. Broader application soon followed, and you can now recuse yourself from such things as debates and decisions as well as court cases.

Examples of recuse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While at the 10th Circuit—which has stricter ethics rules for judges than the Supreme Court—Gorsuch recused himself from cases involving Anschutz, listing the billionaire as one of the people who posed a conflict of interest for him as a former client. —Alison Durkee, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has recused himself following scrutiny of his ties to an oil billionaire whose company filed a brief in the case saying it would be impacted by the outcome. —Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 9 Dec. 2024

Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself due to ties to Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz, whose companies could benefit from the railway. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

The judge who was also first assigned Hecker’s case recused himself from the case, citing a personality clash with the lead prosecutor, according to The Guardian. —Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to refuse, reject, from Anglo-French recuser, from Latin recusare

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

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Legal Definition

recuse

transitive verb

re·​cuse ri-ˈkyüz 

recused; recusing

1

: to challenge or object to (as a judge) as having prejudice or a conflict of interest

2

: to disqualify (as oneself or another judge or official) for a proceeding by a judicial act because of prejudice or conflict of interest

an order recusing the district attorney from any proceeding may be appealed by the district attorney or the Attorney General

—California Penal Code

recusement noun

Etymology

Anglo-French recuser to refuse, from Middle French, from Latin recusare, from re- back + causari to give a reason, from causa cause, reason