By: Derek Hawkins//April 6, 2020//
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Case Name: Adam Gibson, et al., v. Curtis Lovelace, et al.,
Case No.: 19-2342
Officials: MANION, HAMILTON, and BRENNAN, Circuit Judges.
Focus: Writ of Mandamus
Defendants in a civil rights case in the Central District of Illinois moved to disqualify the as‐ signed judge under 28 U.S.C. § 455(a). When the judge denied their motion, defendants filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in this court seeking an order requiring the judge to dis‐ qualify herself on two grounds. We denied the petition by order of August 8, 2019, saying that an opinion would follow.
As we explain below, neither ground for recusal required the judge to disqualify herself from this case. We first set the scene with the underlying lawsuit and summarize proceedings on the recusal issues in the district court. We then address the use of mandamus to litigate dis‐ qualification after our decision in Fowler v. Butts, 829 F.3d 788 (7th Cir. 2016). Finally, we turn to the defendant‐petitioners’ specific arguments for disqualification.
Petition Denied