Federal Judge Recuses Himself From Gaza Case After Trip to Israel

A federal judge recused himself from a hearing from Palestinian activists seeking to block the White House’s policy to support Israel, scheduled months after he joined a group of judges who visited Israel following the Oct. 7 attack. U.S. Circuit Judge Ryan Nelson, who sits on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, issued a brief order on Thursday confirming the move. While he disputed arguments from the activists that he should recuse himself, Judge Nelson said that he will step away from the case “out of an abundance of caution.” “I find no support for recusal … appellants rely solely on comments made by others. They cite no comments I have made about any issues related to this case. Thus, it is far from certain that an objective observer would reasonably question my impartiality,” he wrote. “That said, out of an abundance of caution, the best course in this specific case (which may not apply in other cases) is to recuse. I therefore recuse from participation in this case.”...