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”; recusant

Example Sentences

Dupont-Walker and Mitchell announced at the start of the meeting that they had recused themselves from the vote after Metro ethics advisors told them they had a conflict of interest.

From Los Angeles Times

Murphy said he had recused himself from anything involved in the debate, and that he was a volunteer for the outside group backing Mahan.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

She recused herself from a later meeting on 24 October.

From BBC

The court “finds no grounds to disqualify or recuse itself.”

From The Wall Street Journal