On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, nonprofit organization Fix the Court filed a misconduct complaint against Judge Thomas Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan, citing behavior that undermines public confidence in the judiciary and violates the high ethical standards expected of federal judges. The complaint was submitted to the Sixth Circuit.
The complaint stems from an incident on October 3, 2025, where Judge Ludington was involved in a car crash. According to police reports and media coverage, he showed signs of impairment upon police arrival and failed multiple sobriety tests. At the hospital, he registered a blood alcohol content well above the legal limit and was later charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and with a high BAC offense. He has pleaded not guilty.
The incident was not publicly disclosed for nearly four months. Fix the Court noted that Ludington’s crash and arrest were not publicly disclosed by the court or the judge but by outside media. During that time, Ludington continued to work on his caseload and received new case assignments.
Only recently, E.D. Michigan announced that Ludington would take a leave of absence pending resolution of the state charges. Fix the Court’s complaint asks the judicial council to determine whether discipline, including a possible push toward retirement, is warranted and to investigate how the incident was kept from the public for so long.
On February 9, Fix the Court reached out to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton to inquire about Ludington’s status and had not heard back at the time the complaint was filed. They also contacted Ludington’s attorney, with no response.
Fix the Court stated that the complaint was filed “because accountability and transparency are necessary to maintaining trust in the federal courts. When judges fail to meet ethical standards, the system must respond with clear and public admonishment.”
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
