Opinion ID: 770341
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Recusal by the District Court

Text: 21 Before reaching the merits of the district court's dismissal of plaintiffs' action, we review the district court's denial of plaintiffs' motions for recusal by that court. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 455(a), a judge shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The standard under 455 is objective and requires the court to ask whether an objective, disinterested, lay observer fully informed of the facts underlying the grounds on which recusal was sought would entertain a significant doubt about the judge's impartiality. McWhorter v. City of Birmingham, 906 F.2d 674, 678 (11th Cir.1990) (citation omitted). Under 28 U.S.C. 455, it is well settled that the allegation of bias must show that the bias is personal as distinguished from judicial in nature. United States v. Phillips, 664 F.2d 971, 1002 (5th Cir. Unit B 1981), superseded on other grounds, United States v. Huntress, 956 F.2d 1309 (5th Cir.1992); 5 Phillips v. Joint Legislative Comm., etc ., 637 F.2d 1014, 1019-20 (5th Cir.1981). As a result, except where pervasive bias is shown, a judge's rulings in the same or a related case are not a sufficient basis for recusal. See Phillips, 664 F.2d at 1002-03. 22 Plaintiffs' motions offer no factual evidence of the type of personal bias that would sustain a doubt about Judge Vining's impartiality and require recusal in this case. Plaintiffs base their motions upon the fact that Judge Vining has sat by designation on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the past, has a long term working relationship with a large majority of the defendants, and oversaw a grand jury investigation of one of the plaintiffs. We conclude that these allegations are not sufficient to cause an objective, disinterested, lay observer to entertain a significant doubt about Judge Vining's impartiality. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's denial of Plaintiffs' motions for recusal.