U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington pleaded not guilty Monday to violating the terms of his probation, the latest chapter in a drunk driving case that has kept a lifetime federal appointee off the bench and under investigation since February.

The two-minute arraignment in Petoskey, before 90th District Judge Angela Lasher, centered on allegations that Ludington failed to submit to twice-weekly alcohol and drug tests during his very first week of probation, May 13 through May 20. His lawyer, Jonathan Steffy, entered the plea on his behalf. Ludington appeared virtually.

Lasher asked Ludington a single question: "Do you understand the allegations?" The 72-year-old judge answered, "I do, thank you judge." She scheduled a follow-up hearing for June 22.

How a federal judge ended up on probation

The probation violation is only the latest problem for Ludington, who holds a lifetime appointment to the federal bench in Bay City, Michigan. Republican President George W. Bush nominated him, and he was commissioned in 2006.

On October 3, Ludington crashed into two signs along a curved road in Springvale Township, near his $2.7 million vacation home east of Petoskey. He registered a 0.27% blood-alcohol level, more than three times Michigan's 0.08 legal limit. Under Michigan law, a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 or higher qualifies as "super drunk."

Michigan State Police records described by The Detroit News show Ludington failed field sobriety tests and was accused of repeatedly lying to troopers about whether he had been drinking. Body camera footage the newspaper obtained through a public records request captured Ludington attempting to recite part of the alphabet during one sobriety test. He managed: "A, B, C, D, E, F, U."

He denied drinking alcohol that night, despite the test results.

Four months on the bench after the crash

Ludington did not step aside after the October crash. He continued hearing cases for four months, until The Detroit News revealed his arrest in February. Only then did he take voluntary paid leave from his $249,900-a-year lifetime appointment.

That timeline deserves attention. A federal judge, a man who sentences defendants, sets bail, and rules on the liberty of others, kept presiding over cases for months after an arrest that, had it involved an ordinary citizen, would have been public knowledge almost immediately. The public learned about it from a newspaper, not from the court.

This spring, Ludington pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated. A more serious "super drunk" charge was dismissed as part of the plea arrangement. He faced up to 93 days in jail. Instead, he received six months of probation.

He also raised questions about how alcohol got into his system and whether he had been drugged. The record does not appear to support that theory, but Ludington floated it nonetheless.

Probation trouble in week one

The probation terms required Ludington to undergo alcohol and drug testing twice a week. The alleged violations emerged last month, covering the period of May 13 through May 20, the first week of his probation.

An anonymous source familiar with the case told The Detroit News that Ludington has been compliant with the probation department and was trying to find an approved testing facility near his home in Midland County. That explanation may carry weight at the June 22 hearing. Or it may not. What is clear is that a judge who already received a favorable plea deal, trading a "super drunk" charge for a misdemeanor, now faces allegations that he could not meet basic probation requirements in his first seven days.

Possible consequences for the violation could include extended probation or jail time.

A federal investigation looms

The state-level probation case is not Ludington's only legal exposure. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is investigating him after a judicial watchdog group filed a misconduct complaint. The scope and status of that federal probe remain unclear.

Ludington is not expected to return to the federal bench in Bay City anytime soon. He remains on voluntary paid leave, meaning taxpayers continue to fund his $249,900 annual salary while he deals with the fallout of driving at more than three times the legal limit and then, allegedly, failing to comply with the terms of his sentence.

Several questions remain unanswered. What specific language governed the twice-weekly testing requirement? What testing facility was ultimately arranged? And what has the 6th Circuit investigation uncovered so far? None of those answers are public.

Accountability should not be optional for the powerful

The facts here are not complicated. A federal judge got behind the wheel at a blood-alcohol level that would have landed most Americans in serious legal trouble. He crashed. He denied drinking. He kept hearing cases for four months. He got a reduced charge. He was placed on probation. And within a week, he allegedly failed to meet even that modest obligation.

Every defendant who has ever stood before Judge Ludington was expected to follow the rules. Every person sentenced in his courtroom was told that probation conditions are not suggestions. The same standard applies, or it should, when the person standing before the bench is the one who usually sits behind it.

Lifetime appointments exist to protect judicial independence, not to shield judges from the consequences that apply to everyone else.