Recusal Rules for Agency Adjudicators: Review of Current Practices

Recusal, the voluntary or involuntary withdrawal of an adjudicator from a particular proceeding, is an important tool for maintaining the integrity of adjudication. This project collects and analyzes agency-specific recusal standards, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and identifying features of adjudication programs that may affect agencies’ approaches to recusal. It builds on Recommendation 2018-4, Recusal Rules for Administrative Adjudicators, and describes approaches to recusal that agencies have adopted to preserve the integrity of their adjudications.