The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a motion asking Judge Eleanor Ross to recuse herself from a case that involves the release of Georgia election records. The DOJ cites Ross’s attendance at a celebratory event honoring former Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a prosecutor who led the case against former President Donald Trump for alleged election interference.
A federal judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit recently received a private reprimand after a court investigation found that the judge had engaged in sexual conduct with a high‑ranking police officer in the chamber, attended a partisan event, and initially lied to deny the allegations. The committee that issued the reprimand chose to keep the judge’s name and court location confidential, though it was implied that the judge was Judge Ross.
The DOJ’s filing does not independently confirm the judge’s identity. However, it references media reports that identify Judge Ross, an appointee of President Barack Obama in 2014, who has served on the federal bench in Georgia for over a decade. Ross has a history of working in Fulton County’s district attorney’s office prior to Willis’s tenure.
Ross is hearing a case brought by the Justice Department against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the release of voter lists. The DOJ seeks the judge’s recusal because Ross reportedly attended a Fulton County DA campaign event that honored Willis—an event many see as partisan. The DOJ argues that Ross’s presence at the event creates a perception that she is biased in favor of Willis’s investigative work.
The disciplinary case in the 11th Circuit, which the Judicial Council chose to keep confidential, involved allegations that Ross had sex in the courthouse with a police officer and that she lied when denying the allegations. While the DOJ excluded the sexual allegations from its motion, it stated that even the television of Ross attending a partisan event is enough to produce an appearance of bias.
Fani Willis began investigating Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results in January 2021. Willis’s office conducted phone‑recordings that accused Trump of urging Raffensperger to “find” votes that could tilt the presidential election toward the Republican candidate. In August 2023, Willis obtained an indictment of Trump and 18 others for alleged election‑interference schemes. However, the indictment was dismissed in November after an appeals court noted the relationship between Willis and her outside counsel as a potential appearance of impropriety.
The Justice Department’s motion also notes that the Atlanta Police Department is reviewing whether the officer involved in the alleged sexual incident is part of their department. The DOJ emphasizes that Ross’s role in this forensic case must be free from any perception of bias, citing the potential conflict arising from her attending Willis’s celebratory dinner.
The outcome of the motion will determine whether Judge Ross remains seated to oversee the Georgia election‑records case or steps aside, thereby ensuring that the federal judiciary maintains public confidence in its impartiality.
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[AP Article, 31 May 2026]}
A federal judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit recently received a private reprimand after a court investigation found that the judge had engaged in sexual conduct with a high‑ranking police officer in the chamber, attended a partisan event, and initially lied to deny the allegations. The committee that issued the reprimand chose to keep the judge’s name and court location confidential, though it was implied that the judge was Judge Ross.
The DOJ’s filing does not independently confirm the judge’s identity. However, it references media reports that identify Judge Ross, an appointee of President Barack Obama in 2014, who has served on the federal bench in Georgia for over a decade. Ross has a history of working in Fulton County’s district attorney’s office prior to Willis’s tenure.
Ross is hearing a case brought by the Justice Department against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the release of voter lists. The DOJ seeks the judge’s recusal because Ross reportedly attended a Fulton County DA campaign event that honored Willis—an event many see as partisan. The DOJ argues that Ross’s presence at the event creates a perception that she is biased in favor of Willis’s investigative work.
The disciplinary case in the 11th Circuit, which the Judicial Council chose to keep confidential, involved allegations that Ross had sex in the courthouse with a police officer and that she lied when denying the allegations. While the DOJ excluded the sexual allegations from its motion, it stated that even the television of Ross attending a partisan event is enough to produce an appearance of bias.
Fani Willis began investigating Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results in January 2021. Willis’s office conducted phone‑recordings that accused Trump of urging Raffensperger to “find” votes that could tilt the presidential election toward the Republican candidate. In August 2023, Willis obtained an indictment of Trump and 18 others for alleged election‑interference schemes. However, the indictment was dismissed in November after an appeals court noted the relationship between Willis and her outside counsel as a potential appearance of impropriety.
The Justice Department’s motion also notes that the Atlanta Police Department is reviewing whether the officer involved in the alleged sexual incident is part of their department. The DOJ emphasizes that Ross’s role in this forensic case must be free from any perception of bias, citing the potential conflict arising from her attending Willis’s celebratory dinner.
The outcome of the motion will determine whether Judge Ross remains seated to oversee the Georgia election‑records case or steps aside, thereby ensuring that the federal judiciary maintains public confidence in its impartiality.
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[AP Article, 31 May 2026]}
