U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross has written a new apology to a former law clerk, admitting to "harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior", weeks after investigators found she had sex with a high-ranking Atlanta police officer in her chambers during working hours and then lied about it to senior judicial officials. Two Georgia Republicans have now filed articles of impeachment to remove her from the federal bench.
Ross, who serves in the Northern District of Georgia and was nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2014, wrote in a letter last week that her "actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse," and that a previous letter to the clerk was "entirely deficient, as I did not take full accountability for my actions."
She went further, acknowledging a specific wrong that had not drawn as much attention as the sex allegations themselves.
"I also want to convey my deepest apologies to you for my false accusation against you. Again, I have no excuse and immensely regret my behavior."
That false accusation traces back to last fall, when 11th U.S. Circuit Chief Judge William Pryor first asked Ross to respond to misconduct allegations. Ross replied the same day and denied the claims. Then, in a follow-up email, she suggested the law clerk might have invented the allegations in retaliation for being required to work in the office.
The special committee that investigated the matter found otherwise.
The probe, initiated by Chief Judge Pryor, examined several allegations: that Ross engaged in sexual activity in her chambers, attended a partisan political event, failed to properly supervise clerks, and yelled and cursed at staff. A special committee reviewed security footage, access logs, and testimony from multiple clerks.
Logs and security footage showed that a uniformed officer had frequently visited Ross' chambers around lunchtime. Six clerks recalled seeing someone matching the officer's description. Three remembered overhearing what they believed to be sexual activity coming from the judge's office.
The committee ultimately found that Ross had sex in the courthouse, attended a partisan event, and initially lied when confronted with the allegations. The committee also found that clerks described an "eggshell culture" in the judge's office, though it did not find evidence of outright abusive behavior.
Ross did not recant her false denials until October 10, 2025, only after the special committee had gathered corroborating evidence. The committee declined to treat her recantation as absolution. Its reasoning: Ross likely knew her false statements had already been, or were about to be, exposed.
Ross received what was initially described as a "private reprimand", one that did not publicly name her. She also agreed not to seek the position of chief judge for the district when eligible and to write apology letters to six former law clerks.
For many in Congress, that amounted to a slap on the wrist for conduct that would end a career in almost any other profession. Federal judges serve lifetime appointments. They can be removed only through impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate. That process is rare, but the constitutional authority is clear.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, filed three articles of impeachment against Ross. His resolution accuses her of improper sexual activity in chambers, attending a partisan political event, and obstructing an official proceeding through false statements.
Clyde's resolution lays out the timeline in detail. It states that Ross engaged in an extramarital affair from roughly October 2023 through October 2025 with Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Kelley Collier, and that the relationship was never disclosed to judges, court staff, or litigants, even as Ross actively presided over criminal matters.
"When judges become political activists or engage in judicial misconduct, Congress bears both the responsibility and the constitutional authority to hold them accountable. Judge Ross' deeply disturbing actions prove she is incapable of displaying integrity or showing impartiality."
Clyde did not hold back about the outcome he wants.
"She's simply unfit to remain a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, which is why I'm leading the charge to impeach Judge Ross and ultimately remove her from the bench."
Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Ga., filed a separate impeachment article. Fuller, who represents Georgia's 14th District, said Ross "engaged in extra-marital affairs with a high ranking officer of the Atlanta police department within her chambers during official court hours, while actively presiding over criminal matters."
Fuller pointed to Ross' false statements to senior judicial officials as a separate and serious breach.
"The American people expect and deserve a judiciary system that operates with the highest level of integrity, professionalism, and accountability. Judge Ross has no place on the federal bench."
He added that Ross provided "materially false statements" to Pryor and the chief district judge during the internal inquiry, potentially obstructing efforts to fully assess misconduct concerns and impacting the administration of the court.
Cosponsors of Clyde's articles include Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Sheri Biggs, R-S.C.; Buddy Carter, R-Ga.; John Carter, R-Texas; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Andy Harris, R-Md.; and Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.
The impeachment articles also accuse Ross of attending an event hosted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' campaign the evening before she presided over a criminal revocation proceeding. The resolution states that Ross told interns and staff the next morning she had consumed "too many martinis" at the campaign event.
Ross offered a different characterization to investigators. She said she attended a "mixer" for former employees of a district attorney's office where she used to work, and claimed it was in a separate room from the victory party.
For a sitting federal judge, even the appearance of partisan political involvement raises serious ethical questions. Attending a campaign event for a local prosecutor, and then presiding over criminal proceedings the next day, is the kind of conduct that erodes public confidence in the independence of the bench. The special committee found the partisan-event allegation substantiated.
The House Judiciary Committee will now decide whether to open formal impeachment proceedings against Ross. If the House votes to impeach, the Senate would hold a trial and decide whether to remove her from the federal bench.
Federal judicial impeachments are exceedingly rare. But the factual record here is not a matter of disputed policy or ambiguous conduct. A special committee found that Ross had sex in her courthouse, attended a partisan political event, lied to the judges investigating her, and then tried to shift blame onto a subordinate, a law clerk who had done nothing wrong.
Ross, in her latest apology letter, acknowledged as much.
"Though I can never fully undo the harm that I have caused you, I hope that my acknowledgment of these failures is a small first step. I will be taking further steps to ensure that this never happens again."
A private reprimand and a handful of apology letters may satisfy the internal disciplinary process. Whether they satisfy Congress, or the public, is another matter entirely.
Lifetime appointments exist to protect judicial independence, not to shield judges from consequences when they turn their own chambers into a place no clerk should have to describe to investigators.
