Opinion ID: 78403
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Presiding over the Sanctions Hearing

Text: Finally, the bankruptcy court did not err in presiding over the Sanctions Motion. On appeal Ginsberg asserts that Judge Briskman was too emotionally involved in the matter and should have transferred the Sanctions Motion to the district court or another bankruptcy court judge. In certain circumstances there are criticisms of judicial conduct which are so personal and so probably productive of bias that the judge must disqualify himself to avoid being the judge in his own case. Ungar v. Sarafite, 376 U.S. 575, 583, 84 S.Ct. 841, 11 L.Ed.2d 921 (1964). However, that does not mean that every attack on a judge disqualifies him from sitting. Id. ; see also Sensley, 385 F.3d at 599. We cannot assume that judges are so irascible and sensitive that they cannot fairly and impartially deal with resistance to their authority or with highly charged arguments about the soundness of their decisions. Ungar, 376 U.S. at 584, 84 S.Ct. 841. Requiring recusal for all disruptive, recalcitrant and disagreeable commentary would undermine the judiciary. See Mayberry v. Pennsylvania, 400 U.S. 455, 463, 91 S.Ct. 499, 27 L.Ed.2d 532 (1971). A judge cannot be driven out of a case. Id. As we have found that Judge Briskman appropriately presided over the Recusal Motion hearing, we also find that Judge Briskman was in the best position to sanction Ginsberg for his conduct therein. We further agree with the district court that [w]hile some of the Bankruptcy Judge's remarks at the sanctions hearing were immoderate, they were not sufficiently egregious to `reveal such a high degree of favoritism or antagonism as to make fair judgment impossible.' Evergreen, 391 B.R. at 189 n. 6 (quoting Liteky v. United States, 510 U.S. 540, 555, 114 S.Ct. 1147, 127 L.Ed.2d 474 (1994)). In our view, Ginsberg's egregious conductincluding interrupting Judge Briskman and grossly mischaracterizing the factswarranted some of Judge Briskman's admonishments. Our reading of the transcripts convinces us that for the most part Judge Briskman showed great patience and accommodated Ginsberg, who was experiencing health problems, over and over again.