Overview
- The Department of Justice filed a formal motion on May 29 asking Judge Eleanor Ross to recuse herself from United States v. Raffensperger, arguing that news reports linking her to a judicial misconduct finding create an appearance of partiality.
- An 11th Circuit special committee and the Judicial Conference panel privately found that an unnamed judge engaged in improper sexual activity in courthouse chambers, attended a partisan campaign event, and made false statements, and the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability affirmed that private reprimand on May 22.
- Bloomberg Law and other outlets identified the unnamed judge as U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross and the law‑enforcement official as Atlanta Deputy Chief Kelley Collier, and the Atlanta Police Department has opened an inquiry to confirm whether the officer is an APD employee.
- Investigators relied on law‑clerk interviews, courthouse access logs and security footage to corroborate repeated visits and audible activity in chambers; the DOJ’s recusal filing says those sexual‑conduct findings are not the grounds for its motion and instead focuses on Ross’s reported attendance at the partisan event.
- The Justice Department asked the court to postpone a scheduled hearing while the disqualification request is resolved, and the episode underscores that federal judges generally face sanctions or limits on duties rather than removal unless Congress pursues impeachment.