If a judge would normally be disqualified from a case, but all parties agree for the judge to—in an administrative matter—accept a waiver or a waiver of a preliminary hearing or a negotiated guilty plea, can the judge do that?

The answer is no most of the time with the exception of the Code of Judicial Conduct Rule 2.11(c). If a judge would have to be disqualified from a case because of campaign contributions by a lawyer, because a lawyer represented him or her, because of personal matters, or whatever reason, the judge cannot hear the case. Even if all parties agree that the case still can be resolved by the judge in terms of a guilty plea where it’s negotiated or waiver of a preliminary hearing or waiver of other pretrial rights and then the case be sent to someone else, that still might not be acceptable.