US Judge Apologises After Revised Letters Over Misconduct Found ‘Inadequate’

An Atlanta-based federal judge who had an affair in her chambers has sent revised apology letters to her former law clerks, acknowledging what she described as “harmful, offensive and unprofessional behaviour”, hours after a media report criticised earlier brief letters for failing to address her conduct.

Judge Eleanor Ross of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia issued the updated letters on Thursday, according to one of her former clerks interviewed by the judiciary as part of a misconduct inquiry.

“I am profoundly sorry for exposing you to my inappropriate personal relationship during your clerkship, and for the harm that I have caused you,” Ross wrote in the revised letter provided by her chambers, marking her first public acknowledgment of the misconduct finding. “My actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse.”

The judiciary had previously found she breached judicial conduct rules and instructed her to write apology letters that were sufficiently specific to make clear the conduct at issue.

The New York Times reported that Ross had initially sent identical three-line letters that apologised for “not taking steps to ensure” the clerkships were “a more positive experience”, without describing the underlying behaviour. A copy of the earlier letter was shared with Bloomberg Law by a former clerk, who said it fell short of the judiciary’s instructions.

Chief Judge William Pryor of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit later wrote to Ross, noting that former clerks had raised concerns that the initial apology did not comply with the requirement for specificity, and asked her to respond to whether she had failed to send adequate letters.

In her revised letter, Ross said her earlier apology was “entirely deficient”, adding: “I did not take full accountability for my actions, and I failed to give you the apology that you deserve.”

Following her response, Judge Pryor thanked her and said he would not pursue a new misconduct complaint after reviewing the revised letters and public disclosures.

The revised apologies come more than two weeks after a judicial report detailed misconduct findings against Ross, an appointee of former president Barack Obama who joined the federal bench in 2014. Although the report did not name her, she has since been identified through court correspondence and reporting.

The committee found that Ross had sexual intercourse in her chambers with a police commander during working hours and in earshot of clerks, creating what it described as an “extremely uncomfortable and troubling” workplace environment. It also found she initially lied to investigators and attended a political campaign event improperly.

The judiciary opted for a private reprimand and barred her from serving in leadership roles, a decision that has drawn criticism from legal experts and prompted calls for greater accountability. Two Georgia Republicans have since introduced articles of impeachment.

Legal experts said the initial apology letters were inadequate, while one law professor described them as failing to reflect the seriousness of the findings. Former clerks have also said the handling of the case has raised broader concerns about accountability and transparency within the judiciary.

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