No one may judge a matter in which they have an interest, however honest they believe themselves to be.
From Roman law, and the oldest statement of conflict-of-interest design. The clause about honest belief is the operative one: the rule does not depend on whether the judge would in fact be fair.
In practice
- A committee chair who is also a bidder recuses themselves, and the rule does not depend on whether they would have been fair.
- An editor reviewing a paper by their own student steps aside, because the appearance and the substance are both the point.
- Standing
- The oldest statement of conflict-of-interest design.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Law & Politics
- Essay
- Rules that restrain power, and advice on using it