A LaSalle County judge has recused himself from the sentencing stage of a criminal manslaughter case as a gesture to protect public confidence in his court. Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Howard C. Ryan II last week bowed out of the case after a defendant claimed bias because the judge’s wife served as the court reporter who transcribed the proceedings.That’s a conflict of interest, the defendant’s legal team argued, because the Ryan household stood to gain financially from a guilty verdict.“Movant paid the …