Metropolitan Opera Ass'n, Inc. v. Local 100, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Intern. Union

**Metropolitan Opera vs. Hotel Workers Union: Judge Recusal Denied** This case arose from a dispute between the Metropolitan Opera Association and Local 100 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union. The union asked the court to remove the judge from their case, claiming the judge appeared biased and couldn't be fair. The union's request was based on the judge having given an educational presentation about electronic discovery (how digital evidence is handled in lawsuits). The union argued this created an appearance that the judge might favor one side over the other. The court rejected the union's request to disqualify the judge. The court ruled that simply giving an educational presentation on legal procedures did not create enough appearance of bias to require removing the judge from the case. Under federal law, judges must step aside only when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, and this situation didn't meet that standard. **What this means for workers:** This ruling shows that unions and workers can challenge judges they believe might be biased, but courts set a high bar for removing judges. Educational activities by judges generally won't be grounds for disqualification. Workers should know they have the right to request a different judge if there are legitimate concerns about fairness, though such requests face strict legal standards.