EDITORIAL: Wise standard for judges to recuse

All judges who have accepted that amount or more in total campaign contributions from a lawyer or party in a case must recuse themselves, according to a recommendation last week from the Fund for Modern Courts. In 2003, a New York State commission recommended a $500 cutoff, but that suggestion was promptly dismissed. Until widespread merit selection of judges eliminates the need for judges to campaign at all, this standard is a reasonable step.