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Codifying Caperton V. A.T. Massey Coal Co., Ronald Rotunda

Ronald D. Rotunda

Before Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., 129 S. Ct. 2252, 2266 (2009). due process mandated judicial disqualification in two basic situations: first, when the judge had a direct, personal, and substantial pecuniary interest in the case, or second, when the judge acted as judge, jury, prosecutor, and complaining witness, and there was no need for an instant response. Caperton adds a third category. Due process requires a judge to disqualify himself if a person who is not a party (but is a principal officer of a party) has made substantial independent expenditures to support the successful judicial candidate or …