Definition of RECUSED (original) (raw)

: to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case

broadly : to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest

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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

As a result, county prosecutors recused themselves and requested a special prosecutor be assigned to handle the case. —Gregory Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024 Justice Joseph Deters, who was Hamilton County prosecutor on the Glover case, did not recuse himself. —Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 2 Nov. 2024 The original judge, Ural Glanville, recused himself this summer following allegations of misconduct by Williams’ attorneys. —Spin Staff, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2024 And in July, the trial’s original judge, Ural Glanville, was recused over a June 10 secret, ex parte meeting with prosecutors and a witness. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for recuse