Delware judge steps aside from Elon Musk cases over bias in supporting LinkedIn post that mocked him

The Delaware judge who once ordered Elon Musk’s pay package be revoked is stepping aside from several ongoing cases against him over allegations of bias.Court of Chancery Chancellor Kathaleen St.J.

McCormick announced the stunning move Monday after Musk’s lawyers accused her of having it in for the billionaire, pointing to a LinkedIn post that appeared to show her “supporting” commentary mocking him.Musk’s nemesis said in a filing that she will reassign the group of suits to different judges but insisted she was not in fact biased against the high-profile defendant.“The motion for recusal rests on a false premise — that I support a LinkedIn post about Mr.Musk, which I do not in fact support,” she wrote.

“I am not biased against the defendants in these actions.“But the motion for reassignment is granted,” McCormick continued.“As should be obvious, disproportionate media attention surrounding a judge’s handling of an action is detrimental to the administration of justice.“Fortunately, the Court of Chancery is far greater than any one person.”She said the cases would be taken over by three colleagues in Delaware’s Court of Chancery — the nation’s premier venue for corporate litigation, where judges routinely decide high-stakes disputes involving fiduciary duties and board governance for companies incorporated in the state.Last week, lawyers for Musk demanded McCormick recuse herself because she pressed a button indicating she “supported” a post mocking Musk for being found liable for tweets he posted in 2022 about his $44 billion Twitter deal.

LinkedIn’s “support” feature is similar to “liking” a post on it and other social media platforms.Musk’s attorneys said the judge’s alleged social media activity created an unavoidable appearance of bias under Delaware law, which requires recusal where there is “any reasonable basis to question the impartiality of the trial judge.”“I either did not click the ‘suppo...