28 U.S.C. § 144 — Bias or prejudice of judge

This section lets a party in a federal district court case remove a judge they believe is biased. A party must file a "timely and sufficient affidavit" — a sworn written statement filed on time and meeting the law's requirements. It must say the judge handling the case is personally biased or prejudiced, either against that party or in favor of the other side. Once a proper affidavit is filed, the judge named in it "shall proceed no further" in the case. That means the judge must stop handling the matter, and a different judge must be assigned to hear it instead. The affidavit must state the specific facts and reasons behind the belief that bias exists — a bare claim of bias is not enough. It must be filed at least ten days before the term of court in which the case will be heard begins. If a party misses that deadline, they must show "good cause," meaning a good reason for the late filing. A party may file only one such affidavit in any single case. The affidavit must be accompanied by a certificate from the party's lawyer of record, stating that the affidavit is made in good faith and not just to delay the case or remove a judge for improper reasons.