U.S. lawmakers have initiated impeachment proceedings against federal Judge Eleanor Ross following a judicial conduct committee report that found she engaged in sexual intercourse with a police officer in her chambers during work hours, made false statements to investigating authorities, and improperly attended a partisan political event.

The misconduct findings stem from a private reprimand issued by the Judicial Conference’s judicial conduct and disability committee in a May 22, 2026 order, which affirmed an earlier February finding by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s judicial council.

The relationship, which spanned 2023 to 2025, involved Ross engaging in sexual intercourse in “chambers and during business hours” within hearing distance of her law clerks.

Bloomberg Law first identified Ross, a Barack Obama appointee confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in 2014, as the unnamed judge subject to the reprimand.

On June 4, 2026, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) became the first lawmaker to formally announce steps toward impeachment. “Her egregious misconduct, severe lack of integrity, and blatant impartiality warrant impeachment proceedings,” Clyde said on the social media platform X.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) signaled his committee’s engagement, stating his staff had prepared a memo on the misconduct. “Everything’s on the table,” Jordan told reporters. “We don’t take anything off the table.”

On June 5, 2026, Rep. Clay Fuller (R-Ga.) announced he would introduce a second article of impeachment, crafted alongside Chairman Jordan. In a video posted on X, Fuller stated, “Judge Ross has no business being on the federal bench. She has shown that she doesn’t have the ethical conduct or behavior to continue serving as a federal judge.”

The impeachment resolution notes that while Ross later admitted to the affair, the investigating committee had already “taken significant actions” including interviewing law clerks, reviewing security footage, and testing a stain on a couch cushion. “Her actions exhibit a reckless disregard for her professional obligations, proving her wholly unfit to continue holding the office of a federal judge,” the resolution stated.

The special committee also found Ross made “false statements” to the chief judges of her district and of the Eleventh Circuit and improperly attended a 2024 primary election victory party for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The Justice Department has moved to recuse Ross from a Georgia voter-information case, citing her attendance at the Willis event as creating “the appearance of bias”.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, became the first senator to call for Ross’s removal. “The American people deserve federal judges who uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism on the bench,” Blackburn said. “Judge Ross’ reported misconduct represents a profound breach of public trust that undermines confidence in our federal judiciary, and she should be removed from office.”

Impeachment of a federal judge is rare; only 15 federal judges have been impeached in U.S. history, with the most recent proceeding in 2010. Neither Clyde nor Fuller is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, which typically conducts the initial impeachment investigation.