Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
United States lawmakers are moving to impeach federal district judge Eleanor Ross after a judiciary panel report found that she had sexual intercourse in her chambers with a high‑ranking Atlanta police officer during business hours and within earshot of her law clerks, a scandal that has prompted rare bipartisan condemnation and multiple calls for her removal from the bench.
The push for impeachment was launched on Thursday, June 4, by Georgia Republican representative Andrew Clyde, who announced on X that he was actively drafting articles of impeachment against the Obama‑appointed judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. A second Georgia Republican, representative Clay Fuller, followed on Friday, June 5, stating he would introduce his own impeachment resolution on Monday, June 8, working alongside House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio. The coordinated moves marked the first time since 2010 that Congress has seriously considered impeachment of a sitting federal judge.
The allegations stem from an amended final report adopted by the Judicial Council of the 11th Circuit on December 10, 2025, which was made public in late May 2026 after Bloomberg Law identified Ross as the previously unnamed subject. The report, based on an investigation by a special committee of the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, found that Ross engaged in a two‑year extramarital affair with Atlanta Police Department deputy chief Kelley Collier, 55, that involved multiple sexual encounters in her chambers during regular working hours. Law clerks complained of hearing “kissing sounds and other noises consistent with intimate activity,” creating an “awkward working environment” that made clerks “very uncomfortable” and “unsettled.” The investigation also reviewed security logs that corroborated Collier’s visits and tested a stain on a couch cushion.
Ross initially denied the affair and falsely claimed that the complaining law clerk had been “repeatedly chastised” over performance issues and had worn “casual” attire as a way of getting back at the judge. However, after the committee gathered emails, text messages, and other evidence, Ross admitted in a “supplemental response” that she had lied and had indeed had “sexual intercourse” with Collier in her chambers. The judicial panel also found that Ross attended an election victory party for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor who brought racketeering charges against President Donald Trump in 2023, and later complained that she “had too many martinis the night before.”
The impeachment efforts have gained traction quickly. House Judiciary Committee chairman Jordan said his staff had prepared a memo outlining the findings and declined to rule out impeachment. “Everything’s on the table,” Jordan said. “We don’t take anything off the table.” On the Senate side, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee became the first senator to publicly call for Ross’s removal, stating in a release: “The American people deserve federal judges who uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism on the bench, not those who turn their chambers into a venue for extramarital affairs. Judge Ross’s reported misconduct represents a profound breach of public trust that undermines confidence in our federal judiciary, and she should be removed from office.”
The Justice Department has also acted, filing a motion on May 30 asking Ross to recuse herself from a high‑profile election case in which the government is seeking Georgia’s voter registration data from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The department argued that her attendance at the Willis event created “an appearance of bias” that could undermine public trust, stating: “A judge who attended a party celebrating the election of a Democrat best known for prosecuting a Republican President for alleged election interference cannot then preside over a case concerning that President’s efforts to ensure election integrity.”
Ross, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 and previously served as a judge in DeKalb County and a prosecutor in DeKalb and Fulton counties, received a private reprimand from the 11th Circuit’s judicial council and was ordered to write letters of apology to the clerks interviewed for the investigation. The Atlanta Police Department has also opened an internal investigation into whether Deputy Chief Kelley Collier violated department policies. Ross remains on the bench pending any action by Congress. Only 15 federal judges have been impeached in US history, and none have been removed from office since 1989.
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