Story perspectives

11th Circuit Reprimands Judge for Chamber Affair, Keeps Seat

5/30/2026

Left

Federal Judge Receives Reprimand

The 11th Circuit Judicial Council issued a confidential private reprimand, allowing the judge to remain on the bench.
A federal judge engaged in an extramarital affair with a senior police officer, having sex in chambers during business hours.
Attorney Lester Tate called the reprimand a ‘slap on the wrist’ for lacking accountability.
She agreed to apologize to six clerks, refuse a chief-judge role and skip committee service.

Right

Chrisley Demands Impeachment

Todd Chrisley demanded Judge Eleanor Ross’s impeachment, recalling her 2025 sentencing of his family before President Donald Trump’s pardon.
Judge Eleanor Ross, an Obama-appointed federal jurist, received a private reprimand from an Eleventh Circuit Special Committee for gross misconduct.
Atlanta Police began probing if Deputy Chief Kelley Collier is officer cited in complaint.
Ross was originally appointed to the federal bench by President Barack Obama.

History

Historical Context

Thomas J. Maloney, a Cook County judge who served from 1977, was convicted in 1994 of taking bribes to fix murder trials after the FBI’s Operation Greylord exposed a network that indicted 17 judges, 15 convicted. The case underscored calls for reforms, a precedent cited in Eleventh Circuit’s 2024 reprimand of Judge Eleanor Ross for an affair with Deputy Chief Kelley Collier.

1 of 3

Federal Judge Receives Reprimand

The 11th Circuit Judicial Council issued a confidential private reprimand, allowing the judge to remain on the bench.
A federal judge engaged in an extramarital affair with a senior police officer, having sex in chambers during business hours.
Attorney Lester Tate called the reprimand a ‘slap on the wrist’ for lacking accountability.
She agreed to apologize to six clerks, refuse a chief-judge role and skip committee service.

1 / 3