On Friday, May 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice asked U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross to recuse herself from a case involving Georgia’s election records. The motion stems from a finding by the Eleventh Circuit’s Judicial Council that an unidentified “Subject Judge” engaged in judicial misconduct by attending a partisan political event. Public reporting has identified this judge as Judge Ross.

The lawsuit itself concerns Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s refusal to provide the United States with certain election records, which the DOJ alleges violates the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Specifically, the Attorney General requested a copy of Georgia’s statewide voter registration list. Raffensperger declined, citing state law. The case was filed on January 23, 2026, and assigned to Judge Ross.

The Judicial Council’s amended final report, adopted on December 10, 2025, detailed that the “Subject Judge” attended an event hosted by a District Attorney’s campaign, passing through an area adorned with campaign signs. The event’s purpose was to promote the District Attorney’s political campaign. The judge reportedly conceded that the event could be considered a political function.

Further details from the report indicate that after the event, the judge was photographed holding a martini glass, and later told staff about consuming martinis at a victory party for a District Attorney. This conduct was found to have violated Canon 5 of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, which mandates that judges refrain from political activity.

The Eleventh Circuit issued a private reprimand to the judge and required several actions, including issuing letters of apology to former law clerks and refraining from service on Judicial Conference committees.

News outlets in the week of May 25, 2026, identified Judge Ross as the “Subject Judge.” The reporting suggests the event in question was related to Fani Willis’s campaign for Fulton County District Attorney, which concluded with her victory in the Democratic primary on May 21, 2024. This date aligns with the timing of a summer internship, as mentioned in the report. The DOJ argues that if Judge Ross was indeed the judge in question, her attendance at this partisan event creates an appearance of bias, particularly given the nature of the current case, which involves election integrity.

The Department of Justice asserts that an objective, reasonable observer would view Judge Ross’s attendance at Willis’s party as an endorsement of her election and political actions, including her prosecution of former President Trump for alleged election-related crimes.

The DOJ contends that a judge who celebrated the prosecutor involved in the Trump case cannot impartially preside over a case where the Department of Justice is seeking voter rolls to ensure election integrity.

The motion emphasizes that the current case, like the prosecution of President Trump, is about election integrity. Therefore, the DOJ is requesting that Judge Ross recuse herself from this case.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.