Georgia Republicans move to impeach judge over misconduct probe

Two Georgia Republicans have opened a rare impeachment fight against U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross after a judicial probe found conduct they say is incompatible with the federal bench. Because federal judges hold life tenure, impeachment is one of the few ways Congress can force a judge off the bench, putting this case squarely at the intersection of judicial discipline, constitutional power and public accountability.

Rep. Andrew Clyde said June 9 that he filed three articles of impeachment and named seven original cosponsors: Lauren Boebert, Sheri Biggs, Buddy Carter, John Carter, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris and Andy Ogles. Clyde said Ross’s conduct was deeply disturbing and argued that she must be removed. If the resolutions move forward, the House Judiciary Committee would be the next stop.

The disciplinary record is detailed. The Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council identified the complaint on Sept. 30, 2025, appointed a special committee and received its final report on Dec. 10, 2025. The official judicial memo says the findings included an extramarital affair with a high-ranking law enforcement officer, sexual intercourse in chambers during business hours within hearing distance of staff, attendance at a partisan political event and false statements to investigators. After adopting the findings, the council issued a private reprimand and ordered Ross to write apology letters to six former law clerks, forgo service as chief judge if she is otherwise eligible and never serve on a Judicial Conference committee.

The officer has been identified in multiple reports as Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Kelley Collier, who commands the department’s Community Services Division and has worked for APD since 1998. The Atlanta Police Department said it has opened its own inquiry to determine whether Collier is the officer referenced in the judicial proceeding, widening the fallout beyond the federal judiciary.

Ross’s professional record made the episode even more striking. Nominated by President Barack Obama on Jan. 6, 2014, she was confirmed by the Senate on Nov. 18, 2014 and received her commission on Nov. 20, 2014. Before joining the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, she served on DeKalb County State Court from 2011 to 2014 and spent years as a prosecutor in Tarrant County, Texas, DeKalb County, Fulton County and the Northern District of Georgia.

The Federal Judicial Center says only 15 federal judges have been impeached in U.S. history, underscoring how unusual it is for Congress to pursue removal over personal misconduct. Ross’s chambers had no comment.