Professor Lubet said judges were generally required to step aside from a case whenever there is a reasonable question concerning impartiality.
Mr. Thorne-Begland, who is raising twins with his partner, according to a biography that he provided, tried to allay concerns about impartiality, saying in a letter sent to Delegate David B. Albo, a Republican who is the chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee, that if confirmed as District Court judge, he would "neutrally apply the laws".
Concerns about impartiality also led a school to cancel an anti-homophobic bullying workshop because people who think homophobic bullying is totally fine weren't there to present their side of the argument.
"The agency has full confidence in the professionalism and impartiality of the inspectors concerned," it said.
For the most part, however, it won't be an expression of genuine concern about impartiality that is being voiced; it will be the political equivalent of crocodile tears: a way of cowing individuals in authority by donning the mask of victimhood.
A few hours after being presented as a member of a panel examining the integrity of climate scientists at the University of East Anglia, Nature's editor-in-chief, Philip Campbell, has resigned from the inquiry because of questions concerning his impartiality, the BBC, Channel 4, and others are reporting.
Supporters of the two activists have raised serious concerns over the impartiality of the investigation and the detention of Castro.
There are also concerns about the impartiality of the judge, who has links to a Christian charity which has campaigned for more conservative abortion laws.
But Taiwan, without naming Ms. Zhang, said it could not agree to the agenda because it had deep concerns about the impartiality and qualification of one of the recommended candidates.
This result can be generalized, since it would apply to moral criticisms of impartiality that arise because of concerns about racial or class bias.
