DiotimosReading Desk

Kinship

Withdrawal from judging

récusation; se récuser

To se récuser is to withdraw from participation in judgment because of a potentially disqualifying relation or circumstance.

From the book

The Gods Are Athirst

Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Browse this book’s lexicon →

Meaning

Related words and phrases.

To se récuser is to withdraw from participation in judgment because of a potentially disqualifying relation or circumstance. Gamelin announces that he will not withdraw from Chassagne’s case; the family connection is conditional, since the lovers’ union has not been formally declared. The president invokes a written deadline and then says patriotic jurors stand above passions. The scene does not establish actual impartiality merely because no withdrawal occurs.

Places to read

  1. Chapter XXII, paragraph 14Frenchje déclare ne me point récuser: I declare that I shall not withdraw. Gamelin invokes the two Brutuses to justify participation.
  2. Chapter XXII, paragraph 18Frenchtoute récusation doit être formulée par écrit: any withdrawal must be declared in writing. The president answers with a procedural requirement and a claim of patriotic dispassion.