Eleanor Ross, a US district judge who faced disciplinary action after an investigation revealed she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and attended a partisan event, has recused herself from a case involving Georgia election records. The US Department of Justice had questioned her ability to remain impartial.
Recusal Order Filed
Ross on Tuesday filed an order stepping down from the case, citing an "abundance of caution for the potential perception of bias." The case involves a lawsuit by the Justice Department against Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger seeking an unredacted statewide voter list.
In her order, Ross wrote that both the Trump administration's current efforts and Fani Willis's past efforts have become heavily polarized. She acknowledged that an objective observer might interpret her attendance at an event sponsored by Willis's campaign as support for the district attorney's position, even though she said she only went to see former colleagues.
Background of Misconduct
Ross received a "private reprimand" after a court investigation found that she had sex in the courthouse with a high-ranking uniformed police officer within earshot of staff, attended a partisan event, and initially lied to deny the allegations. The investigation report stated that Ross attended an event hosted by a district attorney's campaign. Ross said the district attorney had been a friend since 1999 and acknowledged attending a private mixer on the sidelines of the event to visit with former colleagues.
Ross previously worked in the Fulton County District Attorney's office, where she overlapped with Willis before Willis became district attorney. Willis obtained an indictment against Donald Trump and 18 others in August 2023, accusing them of a scheme to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. That case was dismissed in November.
