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
Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Whitaker took over the trial after another judge also recused herself.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
Judge Aileen Cannon rejected a call on Tuesday to recuse herself in the case against the suspect accused in former President Trump's second assassination attempt.
—April Rubin, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump, wrote in an order that none of the arguments cited by the defendant, Ryan Routh, justified recusing herself in the case in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recuse 
Dictionary Entries Near recuse
Cite this Entry
“Recuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recuse. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
recuse
transitive verb
California Penal CodeAnglo-French recuser to refuse, from Middle French, from Latin recusare, from re- back + causari to give a reason, from causa cause, reason
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