“I have always believed that as elected officials, we should always avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest,” Leach, who has for years served as the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. "Given that the Judiciary Committee will potentially be taking up legislation that could theoretically be relevant to the battle I am fighting, I thought it was best that I allow the debates on such issues to play out without the distraction of such an appearance. "