SENATE DOCKET, NO. 551        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1807

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to judicial recusal..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 21. Recusal of Judges

Whenever a party to any proceeding makes and files a timely and sufficient affidavit that the judge before whom the matter is pending has a personal bias or prejudice either against him or in favor of any adverse party, such judge shall proceed no further therein, but another judge shall be assigned to hear such proceeding.

The affidavit shall state the facts and the reasons for the belief that bias or prejudice exists, and shall be filed not less than ten days before the beginning of the term at which the proceeding is to be heard, or good cause shall be shown for failure to file it within such time. A party may file only one such affidavit in any case. It shall be accompanied by a certificate of counsel of record stating that it is made in good faith.

(1) Any justice judge or magistrate judge of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

(2) He shall also disqualify himself in the following circumstances:

(A) Where he has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a

  party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts

    concerning the proceeding;

(B) Where in private practice he served as lawyer in the matter

    in controversy, or a lawyer with whom he previously practiced law

    served during such association as a lawyer concerning the matter, or

    the judge or such lawyer has been a material witness concerning it;

(C) Where he has served in governmental employment and in such

    capacity participated as counsel, adviser or material witness

    concerning the proceeding or expressed an opinion concerning the

    merits of the particular case in controversy;

(D) He knows that he, individually or as a fiduciary, or his

    spouse or minor child residing in his household, has a financial

    interest in the subject matter in controversy or in a party to the

    proceeding, or any other interest that could be substantially

    affected by the outcome of the proceeding;

(E) He or his spouse, or a person within the third degree of

    relationship to either of them, or the spouse of such a person:

(i) Is a party to the proceeding, or an officer, director,

        or trustee of a party;

            (ii) Is acting as a lawyer in the proceeding;

            (iii) Is known by the judge to have an interest that could

        be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding;

            (iv) Is to the judge's knowledge likely to be a material

        witness in the proceeding.

(3) A judge should inform himself about his personal and fiduciary

financial interests, and make a reasonable effort to inform himself

about the personal financial interests of his spouse and minor children

residing in his household.

(4) For the purposes of this section the following words or phrases

shall have the meaning indicated:

(A) ``proceeding'' includes pretrial, trial, appellate review,

    or other stages of litigation;

(B) the degree of relationship is calculated according to the

    civil law system;

(C) ``fiduciary'' includes such relationships as executor,

    administrator, trustee, and guardian;

(D) ``financial interest'' means ownership of a legal or

    equitable interest, however small, or a relationship as director,

    adviser, or other active participant in the affairs of a party,

    except that:

            (i) Ownership in a mutual or common investment fund that

        holds securities is not a ``financial interest'' in such

        securities unless the judge participates in the management of

        the fund;

            (ii) An office in an educational, religious, charitable,

        fraternal, or civic organization is not a ``financial interest''

        in securities held by the organization;

          (iii) The proprietary interest of a policyholder in a mutual

        insurance company, of a depositor in a mutual savings

        association, or a similar proprietary interest, is a ``financial

        interest'' in the organization only if the outcome of the

        proceeding could substantially affect the value of the interest;

            (iv) Ownership of government securities is a ``financial

        interest'' in the issuer only if the outcome of the proceeding

        could substantially affect the value of the securities.

(5) No justice, judge, or magistrate judge shall accept from the parties to the proceeding a waiver of any ground for disqualification enumerated in subsection (b). Where the ground for disqualification arises only under subsection (a), waiver may be accepted provided it is preceded by a full disclosure on the record of the basis for disqualification.