A federal judge disciplined for misconduct in her chambers has removed herself from a case involving Georgia election records, sidestepping a direct collision between the Trump administration and the Fulton County prosecutor who once charged the former president.
Eleanor Ross, a U.S. District Judge, filed a recusal order Tuesday after the Justice Department questioned whether she could remain impartial in a dispute over voter records. The DOJ had sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seeking an unredacted statewide voter list, with Ross presiding over the matter.
In her recusal filing, Ross cited potential concerns about bias stemming from her attendance at an event linked to Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney. "I cannot discount that an objective observer might interpret such attendance as support," Ross wrote, noting she had attended a private gathering to reconnect with former colleagues from the DA's office where she once worked.
The judge's decision comes after a court investigation found she engaged in sexual conduct with a high-ranking uniformed police officer inside the courthouse, attended a partisan campaign event, and initially denied the allegations when questioned. Ross received a private reprimand as a result.
Ross and Willis had professional ties dating back decades. The two worked together in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, with Ross having left that position before Willis ascended to the top job. In August 2023, Willis obtained an indictment charging Trump and 18 others with conspiring to overturn Georgia's 2020 election. That case was ultimately dismissed in November.
The DOJ's push to have Ross removed from the voter records case highlighted the sensitivity surrounding any judicial connections to Willis or her office. By stepping aside, Ross eliminated a potential flashpoint in what has become an intensely polarized legal landscape, though her decision came only after federal prosecutors raised the concern.
Author James Rodriguez: "When a judge's past conduct and professional relationships collide with a high-stakes federal case, recusal isn't just the right call, it's the only credible one."
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