Justice Department Pushes to Remove Judge from Georgia Election Lawsuit Over Misconduct
Atlanta, Monday, 1 June 2026.
The Justice Department seeks to disqualify Judge Eleanor Ross from a Georgia election lawsuit following startling revelations of her severe workplace misconduct and attendance at a partisan victory party.
The Federal Lawsuit and the Motion for Recusal
On January 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated a federal lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 for withholding unredacted voter lists [2][GPT]. As the case progressed toward a scheduled June 3, 2026, dismissal hearing, the DOJ abruptly filed a motion on May 29, 2026, to disqualify U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross under 28 U.S.C. § 455(a), citing an unacceptable appearance of bias [2]. The DOJ concurrently requested a postponement of the upcoming June hearing while the court evaluates the recusal request, injecting significant delays into the enforcement of federal voting rights policies [2].
Unprecedented Misconduct and Judicial Sanctions
Beyond political impartiality, the DOJ’s motion stems from a broader, deeply troubling judicial misconduct scandal that was officially affirmed by the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability on May 22, 2026 [2][4]. The 58-year-old judge, nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2014, was sanctioned for engaging in a year-long extramarital affair with an Atlanta Police Department deputy chief inside her chambers [1][3][4]. The misconduct report detailed that Ross exhibited a complete lack of candor by making material false statements to Eleventh Circuit Chief Judge Bill Pryor and allegedly attempting to destroy evidence, such as by cleaning a couch cushion [3][4].
Escalating Calls for Congressional Impeachment
The perceived leniency of a mere private reprimand has catalyzed demands for legislative intervention. On May 24, 2026, the judicial watchdog group Fix the Court formally called upon the House Judiciary Committee to open an impeachment inquiry into Judge Ross [3]. The organization recommended that Chairman Jim Jordan, a Republican, and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, appoint a bipartisan task force comprising six Republicans and six Democrats—ensuring a 50 percent equal partisan split—to hire outside counsel and investigate the matter [3][GPT].