recuse

American  

[ri-kyooz] / rɪˈkyuz /

verb (used with object)

recused, recusing

1. to reject or challenge (a judge, juror, or attorney) as disqualified to act in a particular case, especially because of potential conflict of interest or bias.

2. to disqualify or withdraw (oneself or another person) from any position of judging or decision-making so as to avoid the appearance of personal interest or bias.

   The senator has recused himself from the vote because of his prior association with the company.

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verb (used without object)

recused, recusing

1. to withdraw from any position of judging or decision-making so as to avoid a semblance of personal interest or bias.

recuse British  

/ rɪˈkjuːz, rəˈkjuːz /

verb

1. (tr; reflexive) to remove from participation in a court case due to potential prejudice or partiality

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Usage

What does recuse mean? Recuse most commonly means to withdraw from being in the position of judging a case or presiding over an investigation so as to avoid any partiality or bias. This sense of the word is used reflexively, meaning it’s always followed by a reflexive pronoun, as in recuse yourself, recuse himself, recuse themselves. Less commonly, recuse can mean to reject or challenge a judge or juror due to the belief that they are biased. In both senses, recusing is typically done to avoid a conflict of interest—a situation in which the person doing the voting, judging, or investigating has some personal connection to the case that could influence their decision. People who recuse themselves aren’t resigning—they’re officially excusing themselves from participating. Example: When I was called for jury duty, I knew the man who was on trial so I had to recuse myself.

Other Word Forms

• recusal noun
• recusation noun

Etymology

Origin of recuse

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English recusen, from Middle French recuser, and from Latin recūsāre “to demur, object”; see recusant

Explanation

The verb recuse is used in legal situations and means to remove someone from a position of judicial authority, either a judge or a member of a jury, who is deemed unacceptable to judge, usually because of some bias. The Latin recusare, meaning "to refuse" is the place to start in the history of recuse. You can recuse someone else, but also yourself. As the sister-in-law of the person accused of stealing 400 gallons of pudding from the local pudding factory, you had no choice but to recuse yourself from judging the trial. Too bad, it sounds like an interesting one.

Example Sentences

Indeed, the last time the companies petitioned the Supreme Court to take up the Boulder case, they hoped to use it as a vehicle to get around Alito’s need to recuse in the other cases.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026

It’s baffling, to say the least, that Gabbard did not recuse herself from this matter.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

Herscowitz said he would serve on Energy Corps’s board and recuse himself from future matters involving it and the Rockefeller Foundation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Things got complicated at that point, given that Kern County’s district attorney was obligated to recuse herself and Atty.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

But Rumpff refused to recuse himself and instead offered the assurance that his judgment in the Defiance case would have no influence on him in this one.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela