Judicial accountability
A Georgia judge faces removal over conduct in chambers
House articles accuse Judge Eleanor L. Ross of making false and misleading statements after a complaint from a law clerk. The special committee says it reviewed camera footage, logs and witness interviews before the impeachment vote.
Judge Eleanor L. Ross of Georgia was impeached by the House on allegations tied to conduct in her courthouse chambers and false statements about it. The Senate will now handle the removal case.
- The House impeached U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross of Georgia.
- The resolution alleges sex in courthouse chambers and false statements about it.
- A special committee said Ross lied to two chief judges.
- The articles of impeachment now move to the Senate.
- District Judge Eleanor L
The House impeached U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross of Georgia, accusing her of high crimes and misdemeanors over alleged sexual conduct in her courthouse chambers and false and misleading statements about it. The resolution says the articles of impeachment are to be exhibited to the United States Senate. It also alleges she had sexual intercourse with a high-ranking Atlanta Police Department official inside those chambers while actively presiding over criminal cases.
The allegation inside chambers
The core charge is not only that the conduct happened inside a federal courthouse, but that it happened while Ross was on the bench and within earshot of judicial staff. The resolution says the alleged activity ran from October 2023 to October 2025, during regular business hours, in the Northern District of Georgia.
That detail matters because impeachment here is aimed at conduct that the House says cut against the dignity and trust of judicial office. The accusation puts workplace boundaries, courtroom authority and public confidence in the same frame.
How the inquiry began
A law clerk complaint triggered the investigation. On Sept. 30, 2025, Eleventh Circuit Chief Judge William Pryor appointed a special committee to examine the matter after the complaint about Ross’s behavior came to his attention.
The special committee concluded that Ross lied to Chief Judge Pryor and to Chief Judge of the Northern District of Georgia Leigh Martin May about the sexual activity in her private office. The article of impeachment says those were material false and misleading statements, not a private lapse that stayed private.
What impeachment changes here
Impeachment is the Constitution’s rarest accountability tool for judges. In this case, the House is using it to say Ross’s alleged conduct and the claimed deception were serious enough to threaten the trust that comes with lifetime judicial office.
For court staff and people with cases before the court, the concern is less about political theater than about whether the courthouse itself can still feel impartial and orderly. The House’s resolution turns that question into a formal removal fight in the Senate.