Understanding words

THE EDITOR: Definition: Refuse: To decline to accept something offered. Excuse: To pardon or forgive to seek permission to leave. Recuse: A legal term. Where a conflict of interest or some difficulty arises involving a judge, the judge may recuse himself from hearing a particular case, or be asked to recuse himself. He however may refuse to do so.

Check US Justice Anthony Scalia who flew down in Airforce One with the Vice President of the United States Mr Richard Cheney to do some fishing. A case was before the American Supreme Court, (of which Justice Scalia is a member) concerning a company in which Mr Cheney was involved — Mr Scalia was asked to recuse himself from the case. He refused.

I quote: “Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls yesterday refused to step down from presiding over the extradition hearing of 69-year-old Jamaat Al Muslimeen member Lance Small.” “The magistrate’s refusal followed an application by Defence Attorney Pamela Elder SC for him to refuse himself from hearing the inquiry . . . “Mendes said a dangerous precedent would be set if the magistrate refused himself from hearing the inquiry. “McNicolls, finding Elder’s application to be void of ‘merit’ and ‘frivolous and vexatious,’ refused to excuse himself. . .” “Recuse” covers both “refuse” and “excuse.”

JACK LEARMOND CRIQUI
Diego Martin