Rule 2.7 Responsibility to Decide

Judges are expected to actually do their job and rule on the cases they're given. They can't dodge a case just because it's controversial, difficult, or unpopular. Ducking out of tough decisions isn't allowed.

The only time a judge should step aside is when there's a real conflict of interest or some other legal reason that requires it, as spelled out in Rule 2.11 or other laws. Judges can't use "I don't want to deal with this" as an excuse to hand off a case to someone else. If they're assigned to hear it, they need to see it through unless there's a legitimate reason they shouldn't.

This rule exists so people can count on the court system to work. If judges could opt out of hard cases whenever they wanted, it would slow everything down and let judges avoid making unpopular but necessary calls. The public needs to trust that judges will handle what's put in front of them.