Impeachment Filed Against Judge Eleanor Ross
Representative Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, has initiated impeachment proceedings against Judge Eleanor Ross due to allegations regarding her conduct in the courtroom.
Clyde contends that Ross, who serves as a district judge in Georgia’s Northern District, engaged in an extramarital affair with a senior officer from the Atlanta police department and subsequently made misleading statements during an investigation concerning judicial misconduct.
In the impeachment resolution, Clyde asserts that Ross “engaged in an extramarital affair with Kelly Collier, a senior Atlanta police officer.”
He further detailed that their relationship included “intimate contact, including sexual intercourse, authorized by Judge Ross,” suggesting that her behavior showed a significant lack of judgment, creating issues in the workplace for her staff.
According to Clyde, former clerks in her office claimed to have heard sounds associated with intimate contact emerging from Judge Ross’s chambers.
The resolution claims that Ross’s affairs presented both actual and perceived conflicts of interest, particularly since the police department frequently appeared in her court.
Interestingly, Ross had mentioned to court officials that she “drank too many martinis” at a social event the night before she was set to handle a criminal case.
Additionally, it’s noted that the affair potentially made her vulnerable to blackmail, given that neither her spouse nor Collier’s spouse were aware of the situation.
Clyde’s resolution points out that Ross attended a campaign event organized by Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis. He reiterated that she had been consuming alcohol that night before presiding over a significant court case.
Moreover, the resolution accuses Ross of making “numerous material false statements” during the subsequent investigation, which lawmakers assert amounts to a felony under U.S. law. Initially, Ross denied the allegations, asserting, “I have never had sex in my office or anywhere else in the courthouse.” She purportedly expressed ignorance regarding the allegations and later claimed confusion about the situation.
Lawmakers believe these statements indicate an attempt to obstruct justice by preventing the presiding judge from uncovering her misconduct, effectively undermining the integrity of the judicial process.
In a recent statement to the media, Clyde emphasized that it is Congress’s duty to hold judges accountable when they engage in misconduct or act as political activists. He characterized Ross’s actions as deeply troubling, calling her unfit for her position as a U.S. District Judge.
He drew parallels between Ross’s case and that of Judge Samuel B. Kent, who was impeached in 2009 on four counts, including similar allegations of sexual misconduct and falsehoods to judicial investigators. Clyde argued that the charges against Ross align closely with those against Kent.
Judge Ross was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 and faced scrutiny following a complaint from a law clerk in September 2025, which triggered an official misconduct investigation.
Ultimately, a special committee from the Eleventh Circuit unanimously arrived at three findings related to the allegations, which were later adopted by the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council.
Despite these findings, Ross remains in her position while private disciplinary actions are ongoing, reflecting a complex and ongoing situation in the federal judicial system.
