An Obama-appointed judge in Atlanta, Georgia, who is accused of having sex with a high-ranking police officer in her chambers and lying about it, said “there is no excuse” for her behavior.
Judge Eleanor Ross of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia recently revised apology letters to her former clerks who allegedly heard the judge and the officer having sex, Bloomberg Law reported Thursday.
The three-line documents were revised after reports said Ross failed to address her conduct as the judiciary required her to do.
The Thursday letter read:
I am profoundly sorry for exposing you to my inappropriate personal relationship during your clerkship, and for the harm that I have caused you. My actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse.
I am writing to you for a second time to convey my deepest apologies for my harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior that made your clerkship an unpleasant experience. My initial 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.
A recent special committee report contained misconduct findings against the judge who was nominated by now former President Barack Obama in 2014, per the Federal Judicial Center’s website.
“The committee found that Ross had sexual intercourse in her chambers with a police commander, during business hours in earshot of her law clerks, creating an ‘extremely uncomfortable and troubling’ workplace environment for her clerks. The report also found that she initially lied about her conduct to judges investigating it, and that she improperly attended a campaign event,” the Law article said.
Meanwhile, two congressional Republicans in Georgia, Rep. Clay Fuller and Rep. Andrew Clyde, are seeking Ross’s impeachment, the Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday.
“It is up to the House Judiciary Committee to decide whether to start impeachment proceedings against Ross. Federal judges are appointed for life and can only be removed from the bench through impeachment,” the article read.
Meanwhile, Fuller wrote in a social media post on Wednesday, “There are far too many rogue judges in our federal judiciary who need to be held accountable.”
“I am proud to file an Article of Impeachment against one of these rogue judges, Eleanor Ross, for engaging in an extramarital affair in her chambers within earshot of her clerks. And then LYING about it. It’s time to hold her accountable,” he added:
The judge reportedly had sex on five occasions inside her chambers over two years, and a clerk testified they heard “unsettling noises,” “kissing,” and “music” through the walls of the judge’s chambers:
In his statement regarding the issue, Clyde said, “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. She’s simply unfit to remain a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, which is why I’m leading the charge to impeach Judge Ross and ultimately remove her from the bench.”
