Courtroom policies and constitutional substance

Following up on the efforts to recuse a judge from hearing a challenge to a trans-athlete policy because of the judge's standing courtroom practices: Judge Crews (D. Colo.) refused to recuse and refused to rescind the courtroom pronoun policy. Crews (and his courtroom policies) have not stopped plaintiffs' attorneys from misgendering the trans athlete at the heart of the case (who is not yet involved in the litigation and thus not protected by the policy). And Crews twice told counsel that he would refer to the athlete by female pronouns as a matter of courtesy and respect (as he is duty-bound to do) but this should not be confused for prejudgment and did not require plaintiffs to do the same. It seems to me we are in Rick's baseline hell here because any judicial practice will reflect the goals of one side in a case such as this--a judge who insisted on using male pronouns to describe a trans-woman athlete could be said to prejudge the matter by accepting plaintiffs' arguments about biological sex.

But then Judge Dale Ho (S.D.N.Y.) recused (paywalled) from a challenge to a minority-supporting investment fund because of his courtroom policy encouraging participation of less-experienced attorneys, including those from historically underrepresented backgrounds; lawyers from Consovoy McCarthy alleged the policies violate Equal Protection and reflect prejudgment in the case. Consovoy attorneys made the same move against another S.D.N.Y. judge, prompting her to rescind a similar policy.

As a matter of prejudgment and judicial ethics (which I do not study), are these cases distinguishable? I do not believe either reflects prejudgment; judges must be free to enact lawful policies until they cease to be lawful. A judge's lawful practices cannot be the basis for recusal once a case comes around that might challenge or be inconsistent with those practices. Otherwise, parties pushing  litigation positions would be able to pick their judge--only a judge who has never sought to advance racial minorities or to show respect for trans people in an (at-the-time) lawful manner. And we are back in baseline hell. Unless it depends on the courtroom policy--is there a difference between a "be respectful in my courtroom" policy and an "enhance the diversity of the bar" policy, in terms of what judges should be doing?