U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross of the Northern District of Georgia faces impeachment calls after a judicial misconduct investigation found she violated ethics rules through sexual conduct in her chambers and false statements to investigators.
A federal judicial panel concluded that between 2023 and 2025, Ross engaged in an extramarital affair with Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Kelley Collier, a senior law enforcement official who made repeated visits to her chambers during business hours, according to reporting by the Savannah Morning News and Bloomberg Law. The conduct occurred within earshot of her law clerks, creating what the investigation described as an “extremely uncomfortable and troubling” workplace environment.
The Judicial Council of the Eleventh Circuit issued a private reprimand in February 2026 rather than removing Ross from the bench. However, the judiciary also found she initially lied to judges investigating the matter, blaming a law clerk who reported her conduct, according to the New York Times. In June, after media reports revealed the inadequacy of her initial apology letters to former clerks, Ross sent revised letters acknowledging her “harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior,” per Bloomberg Law.
Two Georgia Republicans—Representatives Clay Fuller and Andrew Clyde—filed articles of impeachment against Ross in early June, according to FOX 5 Atlanta and AP News. Fuller introduced one resolution, and Clyde filed another, both citing the misconduct findings and arguing that her conduct warrants removal from office. The articles would require approval from both the U.S. House and Senate for Ross to be removed, as federal judges hold lifetime appointments unless Congress acts.
Ross, nominated by former President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2014, had presided over several high-profile cases before the investigation, including election-related litigation and the fraud and tax evasion case against reality television personalities Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley, according to the Savannah Morning News. She previously served as a judge on the DeKalb County State Court and held positions as an assistant U.S. attorney and senior assistant district attorney in Georgia.
Only eight federal judges in U.S. history have been impeached by Congress and convicted by the Senate, resulting in removal from office, according to the House of Representatives History archives and the Federal Judicial Center. The last federal judge to be removed through impeachment was Judge Alcee Hastings in 1989, who was convicted on bribery and perjury charges. The rarity of successful impeachments reflects the high constitutional bar for removal and the limited use of the process, even when misconduct is documented.
The judiciary’s decision to issue only a private reprimand has drawn criticism from legal experts. Tonja Jacobi, a law professor at Emory University who studies judicial conduct, told Bloomberg Law that Ross’s initial apology letter was “completely inadequate.” For law clerks who reported misconduct, the private reprimand makes it “very difficult to say, well they took your concerns very seriously,” Jacobi said. The judicial council also barred Ross from serving as chief judge of her district and in any judiciary leadership roles, but she remains an active federal judge presiding over cases.
Sources
- Savannah Morning News — Judge Ross’s background, investigation findings, and career history
- Bloomberg Law — Details of misconduct findings, apology letter disputes, and expert analysis
- The New York Times — Initial false statements and revised apology letters
- FOX 5 Atlanta — Impeachment resolutions filed by Georgia congressmen
- AP News — Impeachment articles and congressional action
- Law.com — Judicial investigation timeline and ethics violations
- House of Representatives History Archives — Federal judge impeachment precedent
