Well folks, apparently federal courtrooms in Georgia are being used for activities that definitely aren't listed in the judicial handbook. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross is staring down an impeachment resolution after investigators discovered she was getting a little too comfortable in her chambers, and I don't mean napping between cases. As The American Tribune reported, a judicial investigation found she carried on an extramarital relationship with an Atlanta police officer right there in her taxpayer funded office, showed up at a partisan political shindig, and then got creative with the truth when investigators came knocking.
The whole saga kicked off when one of Ross' own law clerks dropped an anonymous complaint. A special committee from the 11th Circuit looked into it and came to some rather spicy conclusions. Their punishment? A "private reprimand." That's right, they basically whispered "bad judge" and called it a day. The reprimand was initially hidden from the public, because nothing says transparency in government like sweeping misconduct under the rug.
Republican Reps. Clay Fuller and Andrew Clyde were not amused by that slap on the wrist and filed an impeachment resolution back in July. Since federal judges enjoy lifetime appointments, the only way to remove them is through impeachment in the House followed by conviction in the Senate. The House Judiciary Committee now gets to decide whether this thing moves forward.
Georgia State University law professor Clark Cunningham weighed in on the situation and made a fascinating point. He said the lying was actually worse than the affair itself. Trying to deceive the chief judge and then throwing blame at the whistleblowing law clerk could constitute official misconduct and legitimate grounds for removal. Cunningham also noted that Ross allegedly exploited the security and privacy of her federal chambers to conduct the relationship, which is quite the creative use of government real estate.
But wait, there's more! The relationship with a high ranking Atlanta police officer created potential conflicts in any case involving that department. Litigants appearing before Ross had zero clue about her personal entanglements when deciding whether to ask her to step aside. Her conduct already torpedoed at least one case, a matter involving Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where the government successfully got her removed because she had attended a political fundraiser for the Fulton County district attorney.
Cunningham absolutely roasted the 11th Circuit's handling of things, arguing they focused on punishing Ross rather than asking how the public should be protected. He called the current system flawed because it lets judges investigate their own colleagues instead of handing those inquiries to an independent body. He described her behavior as "grave misconduct" and said the investigation proved she is "untrustworthy and lacks integrity."
Historically, about 22 sets of impeachment articles have been approved by the House, with roughly 15 targeting federal judges. Only a fraction were ultimately convicted and removed by the Senate. A criminal conviction isn't necessary because impeachment covers abuse of authority and conduct showing someone is unfit to wield public power.
GPB reached out to the 11th Circuit for a response from Ross but got nothing before publishing. The ball is now in the House Judiciary Committee's court, and unlike Judge Ross' chambers, hopefully that's where actual judicial business gets done.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
