Judge apologises for covering up steamy courthouse sex scandal

Judge apologises for covering up steamy courthouse sex scandal US District Judge Eleanor Ross has apologised for having sex with a police officer in her chambers and then lying about it A US federal judge who was disciplined after having sex with a police officer in her chambers and then lying about it has apologised for her "harmful, offensive and unprofessional behaviour". An investigation launched last year by the chief judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit found that US District Judge Eleanor Ross had engaged in sexual activity with a high-ranking uniformed police officer in the courthouse, attended a partisan political event and initially denied the allegations when confronted. In a letter to a former law clerk dated Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press, Ross wrote that her "actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse". "You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict," the letter said. Ross was nominated to the bench in the Northern District of Georgia in 2014 by then-president Barack Obama, a Democrat. The investigation began after one of her law clerks reported that the judge had engaged in sexual activity with a senior police officer in her chambers on multiple occasions during working hours. It was also alleged that the judge failed to properly supervise staff and had at times shouted and sworn at employees. Ross received a "private reprimand" after an investigation confirmed the allegations. She also agreed not to seek the position of chief judge of the district when eligible and to write letters of apology to six former law clerks. The investigation was opened by William Pryor, chief judge of the 11th Circuit. When first asked to respond, Ross denied both the allegations about the sexual relationship and claims that she had attended a partisan event. In a follow-up email the next day, Ross speculated that the law clerk may have fabricated the allegations in retaliation for being required to work in the office. In her latest letter, Ross apologised for accusing the clerk of dishonesty. "I also want to convey my deepest apologies to you for my false accusation against you," she wrote. "Again, I have no excuse and immensely regret my behavior." She added that a previous apology letter she had sent was "entirely deficient" because she said she had failed to take full responsibility for her actions. In September 2025, Pryor appointed a special committee to investigate. That investigation was detailed in a report attached to the disciplinary order. The committee’s review of logs and security footage showed an officer had frequently visited the judge’s chambers in uniform around lunchtime. Six clerks recalled seeing someone who fit the officer’s description, with three saying they overheard what may have been sexual activity in the judge’s office. Three clerks told the committee they had taken summer interns to observe the judge presiding over a criminal hearing on their first day. Afterwards, Ross declined to join them for lunch, explaining that she had drunk too many martinis the night before at a primary election victory party for a district attorney friend. The clerks said Ross did not provide sufficient guidance and "rarely, if ever, substantively edited civil orders the clerks drafted". While they described working in an "eggshell culture", the committee found no evidence of abusive behaviour. Ross ultimately admitted to having an extramarital sexual relationship with the officer but denied allegations that she mistreated staff, the committee wrote. The judge acknowledged attending a "mixer" of former employees from a district attorney’s office where she used to work, but maintained it was held in a separate room from the election victory party. "Though I can never fully undo the harm that I have caused you, I hope that my acknowledgment of these failures is a small first step," Ross wrote in the letter to the clerk. "I will be taking further steps to ensure that this never happens again." Federal judges are appointed for life and can only be removed through impeachment by Congress. This week, two Georgia congressmen filed separate impeachment resolutions against Ross. It is now up to the House Judiciary Committee to decide whether to begin impeachment proceedings.