Courthouse whistle blower lodged complaint that a married federal judge repeatedly had noisy courthouse sex with law enforcement officer

Judge Eleanor Ross of the Northern District of Georgia was subject to a private reprimand for having sex in the workplace with a high ranking law enforcement officer during an extra-marital affair

The Judicial misconduct panel found ‘gross lack of judgment’, but issued only a private reprimand

Judge Ross agreed to the sanctions imposed which include writing letters of apology to six former law clerks who were interviewed in the probe of the two-year long affair

She also agreed to forgo service as the chief judge in the federal district and refrain indefinitely from sitting on any Judicial Conference committee

Judge Eleanor Ross of the Northern District of Georgia was subject to a private reprimand for having sex in the workplace with a high ranking law enforcement officer during a two-year long extra-marital affair

The federal judge has been disciplined for having sex in their chambers with a high-ranking law enforcement officer within earshot of staff, attending a partisan political event and for lying to superior judges who investigated the claims, a disciplinary committee revealed.
The married federal judge repeatedly had sex with a law enforcement officer inside courthouse chambers while clerks worked just outside the office door, then falsely denied the affair when confronted, a judicial misconduct report alleges.
Federal Judge Eleanor Ross, 58, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia received a private reprimand following an investigation into a two-year extramarital affair with an Atlanta police commander.
Law clerks reported hearing explicit noises from her chambers, and investigators confirmed the misconduct via security footage and logs after the judge initially blamed staff for the allegations
Multiple clerks overheard “kissing sounds,” “moaning” and other sounds consistent with sexual activity coming from the judge’s private office over a period spanning roughly two years, the judicial complaint filed in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals stated.
One clerk reported hearing the officer say the word “affair,” while another described being so disturbed by the noises that the clerk left work for the day.
The report did not provide the name or gender of the U.S. District Court judge.

According to Bloomberg Law, the Atlanta police brass who allegedly, had an extra-marital relationship with Judge Eleanor Ross is Deputy Chief Kelley Collier of the APD

Investigators found the judge engaged in “gross lack of judgment” by conducting the alleged affair with a prominent police commander whose department regularly appeared in federal court, creating what the panel called the possibility of conflicts of interest or the appearance of impropriety.
The judge initially denied the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and “baseless,” and suggested a law clerk fabricated the claims in retaliation for workplace discipline.
Investigators reviewed courthouse security footage and sign-in logs, and interviewed former clerks before the judge later admitted to both the affair and having sexual intercourse inside chambers, according to the complaint.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals has not identified the police officer as being a member of the Atlanta Police Department,” an Atlanta PD spokesperson said in a statement, adding, “However, the Atlanta Police Department has made an inquiry with the U.S. Court of Appeals into the identity of the officer in question.”
Not withstanding, the officer was identified by the person familiar with the situation as Deputy Chief Kelley Collier, a 22-year veteran who commands the department’s community services division, according to Bloomberg Law.
Collier, 55, is the community services division commander with the Atlanta PD, according to his bio on the agency’s website.
However, it should be noted that Judge Ross did not preside over any case in which the officer or the police department was a party between January 2022 and October 2025, according to the committee report.
The report also found the judge attended a partisan political event tied to a district attorney’s campaign and later made false statements to Chief Judge William Pryor and the court’s chief district judge during the investigation.
Investigators said the judge’s alleged conduct distracted staff, damaged workplace morale and risked undermining public confidence in the judiciary. The report further warned that the undisclosed affair left the judge vulnerable to potential blackmail because the relationship was hidden from the judge’s spouse and colleagues.

Ross initially denied allegations as “outrageous” and “baseless” lies a law clerk fabricated in retaliation for workplace discipline. After investigators reviewed courthouse security footage and sign-in logs, interviewed former clerks, she later admitted to the affair and sex. However, she didn’t preside over any case in which the officer or the Atlanta PD was a party, while the affair lasted – between Jan 2022 and October 2025

After the judge who was the subject of the complaint was notified by the chief circuit judge, they submitted a response that denied the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and “baseless,” the decision said.
A special committee was then appointed to investigate the allegations, which
The disciplinary committee, comprised of seven judges, upheld the findings of judicial misconduct issued in February by the Judicial Council of the 11th Circuit, the federal appeals court circuit that handles cases arising from U.S. District Courts in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
Despite the findings, the judicial council issued only a private reprimand.
The 11th Circuit imposed sanctions on the judge, who agreed to them, which included ordering that they write letters of apology to six former law clerks who were interviewed in the probe, forgoing service as the chief judge in the federal district where they sit and refraining indefinitely from sitting on any Judicial Conference committee.