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

The parole board's decision came a day after an East Texas judge last week denied requests by Roberson's attorneys to stop his lethal injection by vacating the execution warrant and recusing the judge who had issued the warrant. —Bradford Betz, Fox News, 16 Oct. 2024

The state parole board, meanwhile, split 2-2 on whether to grant clemency to Glossip, in part because one member of the board had to recuse himself because his wife was the lead prosecutor against Glossip. —Ian Millhiser, Vox, 9 Oct. 2024

Rangel's assignment comes after defense attorneys representing the three former officers — Eleazar Alejandro, Alfred Flores and Nathaniel Villalobos — successfully petitioned to have state District Judge Stephanie Boyd recused from the case. —Emilie Eaton, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024

Lead county prosecutor Matt Butler, who recused himself and his office from the investigation citing social and family ties to Mullins, said in a statement that the judge was well-liked by his neighbors. —CBS News, 25 Sep. 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