Williams v. Pennsylvania: No Man Shall Be A judge in His Own Case

Abstract

In life, some risks are not worth taking. In Williams v. Pennsylvania , the Court acknowledged the same is true within the judicial system by not wanting to risk the appearance of bias and partiality in the judicial process. The Court insisted there must be an appearance of neutrality as the legitimacy of the judicial system and the rule of law depends on it. The main issue presented by this case is “whether a judge’s denial of a petitioner’s recusal motion and his subsequent judicial participation violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”