Recusal Not Warranted

Ex parte Siegel, [Ms. 2200703, 2200704, 2200705, July 16, 2021] __ So. 3d __ (Ala. Civ. App. 2021). The court unanimously (Fridy, J.; Thompson, P.J., and Moore, Edwards, and Hanson, JJ., concur) vacates an order of recusal entered by Jefferson Circuit Judge Patricia Stephens in post-divorce actions involving custody issues. The court first “note[s] that a petition for the writ of mandamus is the proper method by which an appellate court will review a trial judge’s recusal.” Ms. *9. After summarizing the alleged factual basis for recusal, the court holds that “[b]ecause there is no basis to find that Judge Stephens was unqualified, biased, or partial in presiding over these cases, we conclude that there was no basis for her recusal. We are not prepared to permit a trial judge to withdraw from a case because one party perceives bias that is not objectively reasonable.” Ms. *14.

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