U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross has written a new apology to a former law clerk, admitting to "harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior", weeks after investigators found she had sex with a high-ranking Atlanta police officer in her chambers during working hours and then lied about it to senior judicial officials.

The apology, sent last week, comes as two Georgia Republicans have filed separate articles of impeachment against Ross, an Obama appointee who sits in the Northern District of Georgia. If the House Judiciary Committee takes up the matter, Ross would face the rare prospect of congressional removal, the only mechanism for ousting a life-tenured federal judge.

The letter marks a sharp reversal from Ross's initial response to the allegations. When first confronted last fall by 11th U.S. Circuit Chief Judge William Pryor, Ross denied the claims the same day and suggested in a follow-up email that her former law clerk may have invented the accusations as retaliation for being required to work in the office. She did not recant those denials until October 10, 2025, after a special committee had already gathered corroborating evidence, Fox News reported.

What the investigation found

The misconduct inquiry, initiated by Chief Judge Pryor, examined several allegations: that Ross engaged in sexual activity with Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Kelley Collier in her chambers, attended a partisan political event, failed to properly supervise clerks, and yelled and cursed at staff.

The special committee reviewed security logs and courthouse footage showing that an officer had frequently visited Ross's chambers in uniform around lunchtime. Six clerks recalled seeing someone matching the officer's description. Three remembered overhearing what they believed was sexual activity coming from the judge's office.

The committee ultimately confirmed that Ross had sex in the courthouse, attended a partisan event, and initially lied when confronted. It declined to treat her eventual recantation as absolution, concluding it came only after Ross likely knew her false statements had been, or were about to be, exposed.

Clerks described an "eggshell culture" in Ross's chambers. The committee did not find evidence of outright abusive behavior toward staff, but the workplace environment it documented was far from the standard the federal bench demands.

Impeachment resolutions take shape

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., filed three articles of impeachment against Ross. The first accuses her of improper sexual activity in chambers. The second charges her with attending a partisan political event. The third alleges she obstructed an official proceeding by making "numerous, material false statements" to Pryor and the chief district judge.

Clyde's resolution states that Ross carried on an extramarital affair with Collier from roughly October 2023 through October 2025 and never disclosed the relationship to judges, court staff, or litigants, even as she presided over criminal matters.

"When judges become political activists or engage in judicial misconduct, Congress bears both the responsibility and the constitutional authority to hold them accountable. Judge Ross' deeply disturbing actions prove she is incapable of displaying integrity or showing impartiality."

That was Clyde's assessment. He added that Ross is "simply unfit to remain a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia."

Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Ga., filed a separate impeachment article. Fuller focused on Ross's false statements to senior judicial officials, arguing they potentially obstructed efforts to assess the misconduct and impacted the administration of the court.

The broader question of accountability for federal officials, judges, prosecutors, and agency leaders alike, has drawn increasing attention on Capitol Hill. The Trump administration's recent moves to address government weaponization reflect a growing appetite on the right for structural checks on officeholders who abuse their positions.

"The American people expect and deserve a judiciary system that operates with the highest level of integrity, professionalism, and accountability. Judge Ross has no place on the federal bench."

Fuller did not mince words. He called the behavior unacceptable "on any level within our courts, and most certainly not in the State of Georgia."

The partisan event and the martinis

Beyond the sexual misconduct, Clyde's resolution raises a second line of concern: Ross's attendance at an event hosted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's campaign. The evening before Ross presided over a criminal revocation proceeding, she attended the event. The next morning, she told interns and staff she had consumed "too many martinis" at the campaign gathering.

Ross offered a different account to investigators. She said she attended a "mixer" for former employees of a district attorney's office where she once worked and claimed it took place in a separate room from the victory party. The special committee evidently found the broader attendance itself problematic regardless of which room she occupied.

Federal judges are bound by the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, which bars participation in partisan political activity. Attending a campaign event for a sitting district attorney, particularly the evening before presiding over a criminal matter, cuts directly against that standard.

A 'private reprimand' that didn't stay private

Before the impeachment push, Ross received a "private reprimand" that did not publicly name her. She also agreed not to seek the position of chief judge for the district when eligible and to write apology letters to six former law clerks.

That outcome struck many observers as remarkably light. A federal judge engaged in sexual activity in her workplace, lied to senior colleagues investigating the conduct, falsely accused a subordinate of fabricating the claims, and attended a partisan political event, and the initial consequence was a reprimand no one could see.

Ross's latest apology letter acknowledged what the private reprimand did not.

"You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict. My actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse. I also want to convey my deepest apologies to you for my false accusation against you. Again, I have no excuse and immensely regret my behavior."

She also conceded that her previous apology letter was "entirely deficient, as I did not take full accountability for my actions, and I failed to give you the apology that you deserve."

Co-sponsors and next steps

Clyde's impeachment resolution has drawn co-sponsors from across the Republican conference: Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Sheri Biggs, R-S.C.; Buddy Carter, R-Ga.; John Carter, R-Texas; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Andy Harris, R-Md.; and Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

The House Judiciary Committee will decide whether to open formal impeachment proceedings. If the House votes to impeach, the Senate would then hold a trial and decide whether to remove Ross from the federal bench. Federal judges hold lifetime appointments and cannot be fired, impeachment by Congress is the sole constitutional remedy.

Ross, nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2014 and confirmed by the Senate that same year, has served on the Northern District of Georgia bench for over a decade. Her case now tests whether Congress will use its constitutional authority or whether a private reprimand remains the final word.

The facts here are not ambiguous. A federal judge had sex in her chambers during business hours, lied about it to the officials investigating her, tried to blame a subordinate, attended a partisan campaign event, and kept the whole arrangement hidden from the court and the public. If that record does not meet the threshold for impeachment, it is fair to ask what would.