Opinion ID: 1417789
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Need to State Reasons for Recusal

Text: After the first remand, District Judge Gerald D. Fowlie, who presided at the first trial, recused himself without stating for the record that he had a statutory, ethical or constitutional cause for disqualification. There was no evidence showing the reason for his disqualification. Judge Stowers was designated, after which nothing happened in the case for approximately twenty months. Judge Stowers recused himself, giving no reason therefor. Judge Maurice Sanchez was assigned to the case, at which time Demers filed an affidavit of disqualification which Judge Sanchez refused to honor. On appeal Demers claimed that it was error for Judge Fowlie to recuse himself and for Judge Sanchez to sit. The Court of Appeals held that a district judge has a duty to enter an order stating that he has valid reasons for recusing himself, that to remain mute on this point constitutes an abuse of discretion and that refusing to hear the case without a compelling reason constitutes neglect of duty. That court reversed and ordered that Judge Fowlie sit for the third trial. There are no constitutional or statutory provisions which specifically set forth the authority or the procedure for a judge to voluntarily recuse or disqualify himself. N.M.Const. art. 6, § 18 provides that a judge is disqualified when a party to the suit is related to him by affinity or consanguinity within the degree of first cousin, when he has been counsel in the suit or has presided over the trial as judge in an inferior court, or where he has an interest in the case. The New Mexico Code of Judicial Conduct provides that a judge should disqualify himself in a proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including instances where he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding. Canon 3(C)(1)(a) [§ 16-11-3(C)(1)(a), N.M.S.A. 1953 (Supp. 1975)]. Section 21-5-8, N.M.S.A. 1953 (Repl. 1970) provides that a judge may be disqualified by a party by the filing of an affidavit alleging that the judge cannot preside with impartiality. In Doe v. State, 91 N.M. 51, 570 P.2d 589 (1977) this Court was called upon to interpret art. 6, § 15 of the New Mexico Constitution which states that if any judge shall be disqualified from hearing any cause the parties may select some member of the bar to act as judge pro tempore. We held that the term disqualified encompasses voluntary recusal. We further held that when a judge believes he will not be able to remain impartial he should use his discretion and remove himself from the case in order to avoid any hint of impropriety. We quoted with approval from State v. Allen Superior Court No. 3, 246 Ind. 366, 206 N.E.2d 139, 143 (1965) in which that court stated that the reasons for the judge to disqualify himself may be personal and that he need not state them. We hold with the well-established principle that a judge has a duty to perform the judicial role mandated by the statutes, and he has no right to disqualify himself unless there is a compelling constitutional, statutory or ethical cause for so doing. E.g., Rosen v. Sugarman, 357 F.2d 794, 797-98 (2d Cir.1966); Duplan Corporation v. Deering Milliken, Inc., 400 F. Supp. 497, 526-27 (D.S.C. 1975); Arizona Conference Corp. v. Barry, 72 Ariz. 74, 231 P.2d 426, 428 (1951); Williams & Mauseth Ins. Brokers, Inc. v. Chapple, 11 Wash. App. 623, 524 P.2d 431, 434 (1974). Recusal should be used only for the most compelling reasons. Nelson v. Fitzgerald, 403 P.2d 677 (Alaska 1965). A judge has a duty to sit where not disqualified which is equally as strong as the duty to not sit where disqualified.  Laird v. Tatum, 409 U.S. 824, 837, 93 S.Ct. 7, 15, 34 L.Ed.2d 50 (1972). We approve of this statement by Justice Rehnquist in Laird, and hold that, except in those cases where a judge's impartiality might be reasonably questioned, he must exercise his judicial function. See United States v. Haldeman, 181 U.S.App.D.C. 254, footnote 360 at 362, 559 F.2d 31, footnote 360 at 139 (1976) (interpreting the latest version of the federal disqualification statute), cert. denied, 431 U.S. 933, 97 S.Ct. 2641, 53 L.Ed.2d 250 (1977). However, when a judge recuses himself we must presume, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, that he is doing so in full conformity with his duty. We are very reluctant to interfere with a lower court's exercise, or refusal to exercise, its jurisdiction, and see no reason to do so here. State v. Scarborough, 75 N.M. 702, 410 P.2d 732 (1966). In holding that the judge must have good cause for recusal but need not state for the record that he has cause nor state the cause, we overrule the decision of the Court of Appeals on this issue. That court was in error in remanding the case for retrial by Judge Fowlie.