Reply #3: But his ethics are of the lowest order, as I see it

[Bluenorthwest]

Legal does not mean right, can do does not mean should do. Everybody knows that a judge with ties to a case should not preside in that case, legally allowed to do so or not. The law certainly does not require that he sit on the bench for such a case. It allows him to step down, and he did not. It is that simple. He was not compelled to do the right thing, but he was also not compelled to do the wrong thing. For a judge, the wrong thing includes any appearance of a lack of impartiality, because it is most important to keep the people's trust in the bench, not to keep a certain ass on a certain bench.
He was wrong to rule on this case, legally allowed to hear it or not. And the American people will recognize the greater intent, not the picked nit.