Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer bowed out of 16 cases on his first day on the bench Monday - some linked to insurance interests that caused a flap during confirmation hearings last summer.
A spokeswoman says Breyer recused himself in part because of "financial interests or past financial interests."
Breyer drew fire during Senate hearings for ruling, as a Boston judge, in pollution cases that could have helped his investments in Lloyd's of London. He denied conflict but vowed care in screening cases.
"He's making an effort that speaks well for him," says Breyer critic Monroe Freedman of Hofstra University.
The 16 cases were among more than 1,600 filed over the summer that were cleared Monday. The court, in a rare opening-day step, also did not accept any new cases. But it:
Let stand a ruling that government lawyers committed fraud in winning John Demjanjuk's 1986 extradition to Israel as a Nazi war criminal. The action could slow efforts to extradite Demjanjuk again.
Ended Dan Moldea's $10 million suit against The New York Times for a critical review of his 1989 book on organized crime and pro football.
Media groups feared the suit would end freewheeling reviews: "The threat of dumbing down or dampening criticism was a chilling one," says Paul McMasters of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center.
