The Department of Justice has formally requested that Judge Eleanor Ross step down from overseeing a significant lawsuit involving access to Georgia’s election records. The move follows a public reprimand over allegations concerning inappropriate conduct and questions about her impartiality due to political affiliations.
Judge Ross, who serves in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, was reprimanded last week for an alleged sexual relationship with a top Atlanta police official in her chambers. Additionally, federal prosecutors highlighted her attendance at a private fundraiser connected to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose campaign has prosecuted former President Donald Trump.
The DOJ’s motion to disqualify cites concerns that Ross’s participation in a partisan political event and her prior professional ties to Willis’s office undermine public confidence in her ability to preside fairly over the case. The lawsuit involves the department’s challenge to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s handling of state voting records, a matter tied closely to ongoing election integrity debates.
Prior to her appointment as a federal judge, Ross worked in the Fulton County district attorney’s office, where her tenure overlapped with Willis. The government’s filing argues that this history, combined with her recent attendance at a political mixer hosted by Willis’s campaign, creates a perception of bias incompatible with judicial impartiality in this highly sensitive case.
The controversy intensified since Ross ordered Georgia to extend the deadline for mail-in ballots in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. The case at hand relates to broader claims of election interference, with the FBI having conducted raids in Fulton County seeking election materials linked to Trump’s allegations of fraud.
Because of the DOJ’s call for recusal, a hearing originally scheduled by Ross regarding access to voting records has been requested to be postponed. This step underscores the government's insistence on maintaining a judicial process free from any potential conflicts that could affect the case’s outcome.
The DOJ’s detailed memoranda emphasize the importance of preserving the credibility of the judiciary amid politically charged litigation, warning that Ross’s known affiliations and conduct risk eroding public trust in the courts’ independence.