recusal

American  

[ri-kyooz-uhl] / rɪˈkyuz əl /

noun

1. the act of recusing; withdrawal or disqualification from a role or process.

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Explanation

In law, recusal is the act of a judge being disqualified (or disqualifying herself) because of a conflict of interest. A recusal, for example, would replace a judge if the defendant in a case was a relative. An attorney might ask for recusal if she overhears the judge saying something like, "Well it's obvious he's guilty — just look at those clothes he's wearing!" Before a case is decided, both judge and jury have to be completely unbiased and impartial for the result to be just. Recusal protects against a judge's bias. The word comes from recuse, "reject or challenge as disqualified to act."

Example Sentences

The recusal is real on paper and largely empty in practice.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

But on Tuesday, the parties were informed of the court's "recusal," meaning at least one of the three judges declared they could not rule "objectively or impartially," according to a statement from the plaintiffs.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

If the code were enforceable—by, say, a panel of lower court judges, as Justice Elena Kagan has proposed—Gorsuch could have sought guidance on a potential recusal.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2024

He also said that he would cancel a then-upcoming hearing “indefinitely” and would send the motions demanding his recusal to another judge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2024

Issy Maisels rose dramatically and applied for the recusal of Judges Ludorf and Rumpff on the grounds that both had conflicts of interest that prevented them from being fair arbiters of our case.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela