recuse

verb

re·​cuse ri-ˈkyüz How to pronounce recuse (audio)
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 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 women’s team stagnated for years, never making it beyond the second round of the NCAA tournament, and so its greatest alumni recused herself. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 28 Feb. 2024 Commissioner Patrick McDonald recused himself from the meeting, Ashley Dowell, the parole board’s executive director, told the Statesman by email. Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 15 Feb. 2024 Judge Howard Shore declined to recuse himself from hearing a Racial Justice Act motion in a homicide case. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024 Rollins himself is a co-author of two studies mentioned by David and will be recused from investigations about them. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024 That’s an ironic reason to bend over backward to have nine justices, given that Chevron itself was decided by a six-member Court: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was recused, and Justices William Rehnquist and Thurgood Marshall were absent because of illnesses. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 23 Jan. 2024 Two board members — Scott Budnick and Angeles Zaragoza — had recused themselves. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 But despite calls by some legal experts to recuse herself from the case to protect its integrity, she is not expected to do so, sources inside the DA’s office told CNN. Andrew Torgan, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024 The Supreme Court’s brief order granting review in the case noted that Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who had heard an aspect of the case as an appeals court judge, was recused from it. Adam Liptak, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to refuse, reject, from Anglo-French recuser, from Latin recusare

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recuse was in 1829

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near recuse

Cite this Entry

“Recuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recuse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

recuse

transitive verb
re·​cuse ri-ˈkyüz How to pronounce recuse (audio)
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 GeneralCalifornia 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!