A bipartisan push in Congress for greater transparency on federal judges’ financial ties, a proposed rule change for amicus filers and a vow by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. to ensure the judiciary’s compliance with ethics canons could soon combine to cause an uptick in recusals and disqualifications.

But, as one jurist’s reaction to recent allegations of a conflict of interest demonstrates, lawyers who question a judge’s impartiality do so at their own risk.

The Driver: