[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1351 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1351
Impeaching Eleanor Louise Ross, Judge of the United States District
Court for the Northern District of Georgia, for high crimes and
misdemeanors.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 9, 2026
Mr. Clyde (for himself, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Ogles, Mrs. Biggs of South
Carolina, Mr. Harris of Maryland, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Carter of
Texas, Ms. Boebert, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida, Mr.
Babin, Mr. Brecheen, Mr. Self, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Biggs of Arizona)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Impeaching Eleanor Louise Ross, Judge of the United States District
Court for the Northern District of Georgia, for high crimes and
misdemeanors.
Resolved, That Eleanor Louise Ross, a Judge of the United States
District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, is impeached for
high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of
impeachment be exhibited to the Senate.
Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives
of the United States of America in the name of itself and all of the
people of the United States of America, against Eleanor Louise Ross, a
judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Georgia, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against her for
high crimes and misdemeanors.
article i
Incident to her position as a United States District Court Judge,
Eleanor Louise Ross has engaged in conduct with respect to improper
sexual activity in chambers with a law enforcement officer that is
incompatible with the trust and confidence placed in her as a judge, as
follows:
(1) For a period of roughly 2 years, from around October
2023 through October 2025, Judge Ross participated in an
extramarital affair with high-ranking Atlanta Police Department
officer, Kelley Collier.
(2) Mr. Collier was undoubtedly involved in numerous
criminal and civil cases being litigated in the Northern
District of Georgia.
(3) Judge Ross did not disclose the affair to any other
judge, court staff member, or litigating party.
(4) The undisclosed affair created the possibility that
Judge Ross would be assigned to handle a case in which Mr.
Collier or his employing police department had an interest,
thus creating or appearing to create a conflict of interest.
(5) Further, Judge Ross and Mr. Collier, while in Judge
Ross' chambers and during business hours, engaged in intimate
contact, including, by admission of Judge Ross, sexual
intercourse.
(6) At least 3 of Judge Ross' former clerks heard sounds
resulting from the intimate contact coming from Judge Ross'
chambers, thereby adversely affecting those staff members.
(7) Judge Ross' conduct regarding the relationship
demonstrated a gross lack of judgment and created an
uncomfortable and troubling workplace for staff members.
(8) Moreover, the undisclosed affair left Judge Ross
vulnerable to extortion, as the Officer's spouse and Judge
Ross' spouse were both unaware of the relationship, and the
relationship could be used as leverage against a sitting
Federal judge.
(9) Judge Ross' behavior violated multiple provisions of
the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, including--
(A) Canon 2, which provides that ``a judge should
avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in
all activities'';
(B) Canon 2(A), which adds that ``A judge should
respect and comply with the law and should act at all
times in a manner that promotes public confidence in
the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary''; and
(C) the commentary to Canon 2(A), which further
explains that ``public confidence in the judiciary is
eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges,
including harassment and other inappropriate workplace
behavior''.
Wherefore, Judge Eleanor Louise Ross is guilty of high crimes and
misdemeanors and should be removed from office.
article ii
Eleanor Louise Ross engaged in judicial misconduct by attending a
partisan political event, as follows:
(1) Judge Ross attended an event hosted by Fulton County
District Attorney Fani Willis' campaign, as conceded by Judge
Ross during the investigation.
(2) Judge Ross attended the event the evening before she
was scheduled to preside over a criminal revocation proceeding
in her own courtroom.
(3) The following morning, Judge Ross stated to court
interns and staff that she had consumed ``too many martinis''
the night before at an event hosted by the district attorney's
campaign.
(4) Judge Ross violated the Code of Conduct for United
States Judges, including--
(A) Canon 5, which states that ``a judge should
refrain from political activity''; and
(B) Canon 5(A)(1)(3), which explicitly prohibits a
judge from attending ``a dinner or other event
sponsored by a political organization or candidate''
and a ``political organization'' includes ``a group
affiliated with a political party or candidate for
public office''.
Wherefore, Judge Eleanor Louise Ross is guilty of high crimes and
misdemeanors and should be removed from office.
article iii
Eleanor Louise Ross corruptly obstructed, influenced, or impeded
an official proceeding, as follows:
(1) In September 2025, the Chief Circuit Judge of the
Eleventh Circuit received a complaint against Judge Ross based
on a memorandum received from the Chief District Judge of Judge
Ross' court that suggested possible misconduct by Judge Ross.
(2) On September 29, 2025, the Chief Circuit Judge notified
Judge Ross of the report made by the Chief District Judge and
requested that Judge Ross respond to the allegations in the
Chief District Judge's memo no later than October 20, 2025.
(3) Later the same day, Judge Ross submitted a response
that denied each allegation and characterized the allegations
as ``outrageous'' and ``baseless''.
(4) The same day, Judge Ross also sent an email to the
Chief District Judge denying the allegations and denying that
Judge Ross knew the identity of the alleged visitor to her
chambers.
(5) On September 30, 2025, after receiving Judge Ross'
response, the Chief Circuit Judge appointed a special committee
to investigate the allegations in the complaint. The special
committee subsequently retained experienced counsel to assist
in conducting the investigation.
(6) The special committee found that Judge Ross made
numerous, material false statements to the Chief Circuit Judge
and the Chief District Judge when initially responding to the
allegations.
(7) Specifically, Judge Ross falsely stated ``I have never
engaged in sexual intercourse in my office, nor anywhere else
in the Courthouse''. Judge Ross further falsely stated that she
was ``not sure who this allegation concerns or whether it is
alleged to have occurred with different individuals'' and that
she was ``astounded and confused, and have no idea what this
clerk is referring to''.
(8) Judge Ross did not recant these false statements until
October 10, 2025, 11 days after making them, by which time the
special committee had already gathered significant
corroborating evidence. The special committee found that Judge
Ross' recantation came only after she likely knew her false
statements had been, or were about to be, exposed, and declined
to treat the recantation as absolution.
(9) Rule 4(a)(5) of the Judicial-Conduct Rules states that
cognizable misconduct includes ``refusing, without good cause
shown, to cooperate in the investigation of a complaint''.
(10) Judge Ross' failure to truthfully respond to Chief
Judge Pryor's inquiry constituted a failure to cooperate in the
investigation of the complaint and thus an instance of
cognizable judicial misconduct.
(11) Not only did Judge Ross fail to fulfill her duty to
self-report under Rule 4(a)(6), but her false statements to
Chief Judge Pryor and to the Chief District Judge constituted
affirmative attempts to prevent the Chief Judges from learning
of her misconduct, thereby obstructing the judicial conduct
process established by Congress.
(12) Further, under Section 1001 of Title 18, United States
Code (18 U.S.C. 1001), it is a felony to ``knowingly and
willfully'' make ``any materially false, fictitious, or
fraudulent statement or representation'' on any ``matter within
the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial
branch'' of the Federal Government.
(13) In making numerous, material false statements to the
Chief Circuit Judge and the Chief District Judge, Judge Ross'
conduct would constitute a felony in violation of 18 U.S.C.
1001 in any other Federal context, reflecting the gravity of
the misconduct and the degree to which it subverted the
integrity of an official proceeding.
Wherefore, Judge Eleanor Louise Ross is guilty of high crimes and
misdemeanors and should be removed from office.
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