Je recuse.

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Half-understood legalese" is one of the inexhaustible sources of change in
our wonderful, ever-evolving English language.

No one can refudiate that.

(Satire to start the day right.)

JL

On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 6:58 AM, David A. Daniel <dad at pokerwiz.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Je recuse.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> But wait. Recuse has a specific meaning. It means the judge removes
> himself,
> or is removed, from a case due to potential or actual conflict of interest.
> Kagan just recused herself from some 25 Supreme Court because she, as
> solicitor general, was the one who filed them. The reporter who used this
> to
> mean 'excused himself' was, as you say and as Wilson lamented, trying to
> use
> some half-understood legalese. (Or does everybody know this already and I
> missed a smiley face somewhere?)
> DAD
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> Of
> Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2010 10:42 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Je recuse.
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
>
> Yeah, but it's got to be like the same thing as "excused himself," right? I
> mean it's obvious. Judges excuse themselves but we call it recuse
> themselves. Because it's court.  It's like more official.
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 8:57 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Je recuse.
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 7:39 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > CNN reports that Dr. William Petit _"recused himself" from the
> courtroo=
> m_
> > > rather than
> > > endure the most graphic testimony in the trial of Steven Hayes.
> > >
> >
> > Would that there were a way to keep legal jargon out of the mouths of
> > those familiar with it only from  TV cop-operas.
> >
> > --
> > -Wilson
> > =96=96=96
> > All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"=96=96a strange complaint
> t=
> o
> > come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > =96Mark Twain
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --=20
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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