U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross recused herself from a lawsuit seeking Georgia’s unredacted voter registration records after the Justice Department argued her connection to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis created an appearance of bias.
Ross granted the government’s request in a five-page order, Politico reported. She said the case’s “unique facts” could lead an objective observer to question her impartiality because she attended a political event sponsored by Willis’ campaign. Willis led Georgia’s now-dismissed election-interference case against President Donald Trump.
The Justice Department sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after he declined to provide the state’s voter file. The department says the information is needed to examine compliance with federal election law. The records include birth dates, driver’s license information and partial Social Security numbers.
Ross rejected the claim that her attendance demonstrated Democratic partisanship. She noted the Trump administration brought the case against Raffensperger, a Republican. Still, she wrote that perceived support for Willis’ views could create doubt about her neutrality.
The recusal follows a judicial misconduct investigation that found Ross, appointed by former President Barack Obama, had an extramarital relationship with a high-ranking law enforcement officer, had sex in her chambers during business hours, attended a partisan event and made false statements during the inquiry. The Judicial Council of the 11th Circuit issued a private reprimand. Ross later apologized to former clerks for her “harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior.”
The case was reassigned to U.S. District Judge Victoria Calvert, appointed by former President Joe Biden, Reuters reported. Ross’ departure does not resolve whether the Justice Department can obtain the records; it puts that dispute before a new judge.
The Georgia lawsuit is one of roughly 30 federal cases seeking unredacted state voter files, expanding a national fight over election oversight, voter privacy and federal power.
