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The Origins And Development Of Judicial Recusal In Texas, John C. Domino Phd

John C. Domino PhD

Judicial recusal – the self-disqualification from a case because of personal bias -- is a mid-20th century development in Texas jurisprudence. In 21st century Texas, a judge’s recusal is based on a complex set of codes and procedures. For most of the state’s history, however, the grounds for the removal of a judge from a case was disqualification, the conditions set solely by the Texas Constitution. This paper examines the foundations and emergence of the modern concept of judicial recusal in Texas. It begins with an examination of disqualification rulings to understand early foundational thinking about the circumstances under which …