Judge America left in denial (7)
I believe the answer is:
refusal
'denial' is the definition.
(I know that refusal is a type of denial)
I don't understand the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for refusal that I've seen before include "Negative response" , "regrets?" , "The turning down of a request" , "Indication of unwillingness (to do something)" , "Negation" .)