Atlanta Judge Faces Second Impeachment Effort Over Misconduct

Another House Republican is moving to impeach an Atlanta federal judge who had an extramarital affair in-chambers and lied to judges about it during their investigation.

Rep. Clay Fuller (R-Ga.) said in a social media post Friday that he plans to introduce an article of impeachment against Judge Eleanor Ross of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for making false and misleading statements about her conduct.

Fuller said he worked on the resolution alongside Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the panel that would typically conduct an initial impeachment investigation. Jordan previewed action by the committee in response to the judicial misconduct findings earlier this week.

“Judge Ross has no business being on the federal bench. She has shown that she doesn’t have the ethical conduct or behavior to continue serving as a federal judge,” Fuller said in a video posted alongside the announcement.

A judicial special committee found that an unnamed judge, identified as Ross by Bloomberg Law, had sexual intercourse with a police commander in chambers, during business hours and in earshot of law clerks.

After a complaint was made, Ross initially made “false statements” to the chief judges of her district and of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which oversees federal courts in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, according to the committee’s report, which was released publicly in May.

The impeachment resolution notes that while Ross later admitted to engaging in the affair in chambers, the committee had already “taken significant actions” to investigate her conduct, including by interviewing law clerks, reviewing security footage, and testing a stain on a couch cushion.

“Her actions exhibit a reckless disregard for her professional obligations, proving her wholly unfit to continue holding the office of a federal judge,” the resolution, posted on X, said.

The judiciary panel also found that Ross improperly attended a political event when she went to a campaign watch party for District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought charges against President Donald Trump related to efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The Justice Department has asked Ross to take herself off a case where the government is seeking Georgia voter information, claiming her attendance at the Willis event creates an appearance of bias.

Fuller’s resolution, which he said he’ll introduce Monday, is at least the second to be announced targeting Ross. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) said on Thursday he also plans to introduce an impeachment article against the judge.

Neither lawmaker is a member of the Judiciary Committee.