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

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The item was approved in a 4-0 vote, with council member Maria Ristow recusing herself because of the proximity of her home to the project site. —

Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025 Justice Riggs, who has remained on the court while the case plays out, recused herself. —

Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025 Early in January, Attorney General Letitia James recused herself from the case and named Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick as a special prosecutor to investigate Brooks’ death. —

Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2025 Council member Elizabeth Beck, who didn’t chime in during the discussion, voted against the delay; council member Michael Crain, who co-runs a real estate firm with Northern, recused himself. —

Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for recuse