Recused Definition & Meaning

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Recuse is derived from the Middle French word recuser, which comes from the Latin recusare, meaning "to refuse." English speakers began using recuse with the meaning "to refuse or reject" in the 14th century. By the 15th century, the term had acquired the meaning "to challenge or object to (a judge)." The current legal use of recuse as a term specifically meaning "to disqualify (oneself) as a judge" didn't come into frequent use until the 19th century. Broader applications soon followed from this sense—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 These and other discrepancies prompted key Democrats scrutinizing the attack and the Department of Homeland Security to issue a subpoena to the Secret Service and to call for Cuffari to recuse himself from the investigation. — Maria Sacchetti And Carol D. Leonnig, Anchorage Daily News, 30 July 2022 These and other discrepancies prompted key Democrats scrutinizing the attack and the Department of Homeland Security to issue a subpoena to the Secret Service and to call for Cuffari to recuse himself from the investigation. — Maria Sacchetti And, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2022 Willis’ decision to recuse is frustrating in light of the Trump investigation, said attorney Chris Stewart, who represents Brooks’ family. — Christian Boone, ajc, 19 Feb. 2021 Her text messages to Meadows, revealed in the spring, prompted calls for her husband to recuse himself from Supreme Court cases related to the 2020 election. — Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 24 July 2022 That has increased calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from any cases involving the Jan. 6 attack. — John Fritze, USA TODAY, 30 June 2022 That includes recent questions about his wife’s role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his decision not to recuse himself from cases that involved it. — Jessica Gresko, Anchorage Daily News, 30 June 2022 Schiff pointed to Clarence Thomas's decision not to recuse when Trump went to the Supreme Court to try to block the House committee from getting access to his White House records. — Emma Brown, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2022 After the shooting, the president of the Greater Grand Rapids NAACP, Cle Jackson, called for Becker to recuse himself from the investigation, and for the Michigan Attorney General to take over the case. — CNN, 9 June 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'recuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.