An Atlanta-based federal judge on Monday recused herself from a voter roll lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, granted the DOJ’s motion that sought her disqualification from the case because of her reported appearance at a campaign event for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Willis gained national prominence in 2023 when she indicted Donald Trump, then a former president, regarding his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Democratic district attorney ran for a second term in 2024 as she prosecuted Trump and others in the racketeering case. She was later disqualified from the case by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
In a court motion filed last month, the DOJ cited reporting that identified Ross as the federal judge who attended a partisan event in honor of Willis. The federal government argued Ross’s apparent connection to Willis “creates the appearance of bias” in an election-related case.
“A judge who attended a party celebrating the election of a Democrat best known for prosecuting a Republican President for alleged election interference cannot then preside over a case concerning that President’s efforts to ensure election integrity,” the DOJ said in the court filing signed by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.
In granting the motion, Ross said recusal “is appropriate based on the unique facts of this case,” adding she removed herself from the Georgia election case “out of an abundance of caution for the potential perception of bias.”
“Perceived support of Willis’ position on election integrity could cause an objective observer to significantly doubt [Ross’s] impartiality in this case,” she wrote in the five-page order.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Dhillon said she was “glad” about the successful outcome of the DOJ’s recusal request concerning Ross.
Jesus Osete, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the DOJ Civil Rights Division, similarly celebrated the judge’s decision but noted it only came after the department threatened to file a writ of mandamus to compel her recusal if she did not voluntarily disqualify herself by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Ross was privately reprimanded following a court investigation into her alleged misconduct, according to reports. The investigation also centered on a law clerk’s allegations that the judge had sex with an Atlanta police officer in her court chambers, where her staff could hear them.
Ross initially denied the allegations last year, and the court determined she was lying. At the time, the judge claimed the law clerk might have invented the allegations in retaliation for being required to work in the office. She later apologized to the former clerk.
Reps. Clay Fuller (R-GA) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA) filed articles of impeachment against Ross last week over her alleged behavior in the reported incidents, particularly the sexual encounter.
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The federal case against Raffensperger pertains to voter roll access as part of the Trump administration’s election integrity efforts.
As the defendant, Raffensperger argues that state law prohibits the release of voters’ confidential personal information unless the federal government meets certain conditions. The Republican official sent a publicly available portion of the statewide voter registration list to the DOJ in December, but he refuses to hand over the rest of the voting information. The rest of the case will proceed with a separate judge.