Federal Judge Eleanor Ross Faces Calls for Congressional Inquiry After Sexual Misconduct and Lying to Investigators

Judge Eleanor Ross, a federal judge in Atlanta appointed in 2014, was found by the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council to have engaged in sexual intercourse with an Atlanta police officer in her judicial chambers at least five times over roughly two years beginning around 2022. The misconduct came to light after a law clerk reported hearing sounds consistent with sexual activity from chambers. When questioned by the chief circuit judge, Ross denied the conduct, claimed not to know which officer had visited despite his signed entry record, and accused her law clerk of retaliation — conduct the council characterized as lacking candor. Despite these findings, the council issued only a private reprimand, required Ross to write vaguely worded apology letters to her clerks, and barred her from serving as chief judge or on judiciary-wide committees. Critics, including law professors and the judicial reform group Fix the Court, argue the punishment is grossly inadequate given that Ross lied to obstruct the investigation, and that the council failed to follow precedent set in the 2007 case of Judge Samuel Kent, who was ultimately impeached for similar obstruction. They are calling on Congress to open an impeachment inquiry, arguing that the judiciary's self-policing mechanism has broken down in this instance.