ATLANTA — U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross has apologized to a former law clerk after an investigation found that she had engaged in a sexual relationship with a high-ranking police officer in her courthouse chambers and initially lied to investigators about the allegations.

In a June 11 letter obtained by The Associated Press, Ross described her conduct as “harmful, offensive, and unprofessional” and acknowledged that her actions were wrong.

“You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict,” Ross wrote in the letter, adding that there was no excuse for her conduct.

The investigation was launched last year by William Pryor, chief judge of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, after one of Ross’ law clerks reported that the judge had engaged in sexual activity with a high-ranking uniformed police officer in her office during working hours.

The allegations also included claims that Ross had attended a partisan political event, failed to properly supervise her law clerks and, on one occasion, yelled and cursed at members of her staff.

Ross initially denied the allegations when Pryor asked her to respond. She specifically rejected the claims that she had sex in her office and attended a partisan event. In a follow-up email, she suggested that the law clerk might have fabricated the allegations in retaliation for being required to work from the office.

Ross later apologized for making the accusation against the clerk.

“I also want to convey my deepest apologies to you for my false accusation against you,” she wrote. “Again, I have no excuse and immensely regret my behavior.”

The investigation ultimately confirmed that Ross had engaged in an extramarital sexual relationship with the police officer. A special committee appointed by Pryor reviewed security footage, courthouse logs and testimony from current and former clerks.

The investigation found that the officer had frequently visited Ross’ chambers around lunchtime while wearing his police uniform. Six law clerks recalled seeing a person matching the officer’s description, while three said they remembered hearing sounds that could have been sexual activity coming from the judge’s office.

The committee also examined Ross’ conduct toward her staff. Several clerks described what they characterized as an “eggshell culture” and said Ross provided limited guidance and rarely made substantive edits to civil orders prepared by clerks.

However, the committee did not find evidence that Ross had engaged in abusive behavior toward her staff.

The investigation also examined an event involving a district attorney friend. Three clerks recalled bringing summer interns to watch Ross preside over a criminal hearing on their first day. The clerks said Ross later declined to have lunch with the interns, explaining that she had consumed too many martinis the previous night at a primary election victory party for a district attorney friend.

Ross told investigators that she had attended a separate gathering of former employees from a district attorney’s office where she had previously worked, but said it was held in a different room from the victory celebration.

The investigation resulted in Ross receiving a private reprimand. She also agreed not to seek the position of chief judge of the district when she becomes eligible and agreed to send apology letters to six former law clerks.

Ross’ latest letter to one of the clerks acknowledged that an earlier apology had been inadequate because she had not fully accepted responsibility for her conduct.

“I did not take full accountability for my actions, and I failed to give you the apology that you deserve,” she wrote.

Ross was nominated to the federal bench in Georgia in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.

Federal judges are appointed for life and can be removed from office only through impeachment by Congress. Two Georgia lawmakers filed separate impeachment resolutions against Ross this week, and the House Judiciary Committee will determine whether to begin impeachment proceedings.

Ross ultimately admitted to the committee that she had an extramarital sexual relationship with the police officer, while continuing to deny allegations that she mistreated her staff.

In her letter to the former clerk, Ross said she could not completely undo the harm caused by her actions but hoped that acknowledging her failures would represent a first step toward repairing the damage.

“I will be taking further steps to ensure that this never happens again,” she wrote.

SOURCE: Associated Press, updated June 16, 2026.