A federal judge who had an extramarital affair with a high-ranking law enforcement officer and engaged in sexual relations in her chambers during work hours within earshot of staff remains on the bench after receiving a “private reprimand,” according to reports.
An investigative report ordered by Chief Judge William Pryor of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a private reprimand without naming the judge. On Thursday, Bloomberg Law reported that a source familiar with the situation identified the judge as Eleanor Ross.
Ross is a federal judge serving the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia who was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2014.
According to a special judicial conduct committee of the 11th Circuit, the judge mentioned in the report, now believed to be Ross, engaged in sexual intercourse in “chambers and during business hours.”
The judge was also in a two-year relationship that “demonstrated a gross lack of judgment” and resulted in a “chambers workplace that was extremely uncomfortable and troubling for clerks,” the report said. An investigation also found that the judge went to a partisan political event.
The Judicial Council of the 11th Circuit issued the private reprimand in February, and the Judicial Conference’s judicial conduct and disability committee last week affirmed that misconduct finding.
Some outlets questioned why the judge’s name was not mentioned in the report, accusing the 11th Circuit and the Judicial Conference of deliberately trying to conceal the judge’s identity.
In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the 11th Circuit said that it could not provide information beyond the publicly available orders issued by the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability and the 11th Circuit Judicial Council.
The spokesperson directed the outlet to information about the proceedings under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act, as well as the Rules for Judicial-Conduct and Judicial-Disability Rules and the 11th Circuit Judicial Conduct and Disability Rules
“Because the subject judge received a private reprimand, the publicly available orders do not disclose the name of the subject judge or the text of the reprimand,” the spokesperson explained.
The Judicial Conference did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.
The investigation into the judge accused of having sexual relations during work hours began after one of the judge’s law clerks reported that the judge had engaged in sexual activity with an officer on more than one occasion.
At first, the report said that the judge dismissed the allegations as “outrageous,” suggesting that a law clerk made them up in retaliation for having to work late at the office.
Investigators said that the judge later admitted to having an extramarital affair and a sexual relationship with the officer, but she denied the other part of the complaint that accused her of mistreating staff. The judge’s false statements during the inquiry troubled the special committee.
While federal judges are appointed for life and can only be removed through impeachment by Congress, they can still be subject to disciplinary action, including censure, public or private reprimands and temporary withholding of cases.
In this case, the judge agreed to write apology letters to six former law clerks and to refrain from serving on any Judicial Conference committee, and to accept the position of chief judge of the district when eligible.
“Although the special committee is deeply troubled by the conduct in which the judge engaged, the Subject Judge has demonstrated a strong propensity for rehabilitation and continued diligent service to the judiciary,” the committee’s report states.
Lester Tate, a lawyer who often defends Georgia judges in misconduct cases, believes that the judge’s punishment seemed like a “slap on the wrist,” WBSB-TV reported.
“I’m shocked that there was not a more severe punishment for the false statements that were made by this judge during the course of the investigation,” the lawyer said.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
