{"id":2608633,"date":"2026-05-30T14:10:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T18:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-requests-recusal-of-georgia-election-case-judge-over-misconduct-scandal\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T14:11:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T18:11:33","slug":"doj-requests-recusal-of-georgia-election-case-judge-over-misconduct-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-requests-recusal-of-georgia-election-case-judge-over-misconduct-scandal\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ requests recusal of Georgia election case judge over misconduct scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-requests-recusal-of-georgia-election-case-judge-over-misconduct-scandal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608633&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Judge Eleanor Ross to recuse herself from its election records lawsuit against Georgia\u2019s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The DOJ argues Ross\u2019s apparent participation in an event tied to fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis-an event associated wiht Willis\u2019s 2024 campaign and her prior prosecution of Donald Trump-creates a perception of bias.<\/p>\n<p>The 11th Judicial Circuit reportedly found Ross engaged in judicial misconduct after she attended the partisan event.In its filing, the DOJ said the recusal request is based on the appearance-of-bias issue, not other allegations also cited in the broader misconduct findings, wich include improper sexual activity in chambers with a law enforcement officer and alleged lack of candor.<\/p>\n<p>Ross, an Obama nominee confirmed in 2014, is scheduled to preside over a hearing in the DOJ\u2019s case for June 3; that date could shift if the recusal motion is granted. The lawsuit comes as the DOJ challenges georgia\u2019s voter-roll practices, with Raffensperger arguing that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >state law limits disclosure<\/a> of confidential voter facts unless the federal government satisfies specific requirements. The underlying election-related prosecution involving Willis and Trump was previously dismissed after Trump won the 2024 election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Department of Justice<\/a> has asked an Obama-appointed federal judge, embroiled in judicial misconduct, to recuse herself from its election records lawsuit against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"164\">Georgia<\/a> Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/brad-raffensperger\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2607\">Brad Raffensperger<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The request for recusal on Friday pertains to U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross and her alleged improper appearance at an event honoring Fulton County District Attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2608\">Fani Willis<\/a>, who once prosecuted President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> for alleged interference in the 2020 election. While the court did not publicly announce which judge appeared at Fani Willis\u2019 rally in its initial report, the DOJ believes the judge is Ross based on news reports.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4588170\/judge-reopens-trump-irs-lawsuit-over-anti-weaponization-fund\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge reopens Trump IRS lawsuit to investigate $1.8 billion \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4588097\/who-is-judge-christopher-cooper-trump-kennedy-center\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Who is Christopher Cooper, the judge who blocked Trump\u2019s plans for the Kennedy Center?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4587976\/judge-prevents-kennedy-center-closure-forces-trump-name-removal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump slams judge for reversing Kennedy Center name change and blocking closure<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 11th Judicial Circuit determined Ross engaged in judicial misconduct by attending the partisan event promoting Willis\u2019s 2024 campaign. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/orange-county-d-a-says-if-l-a-countys-gascon-wont-seek-justice-for-slain-six-year-old-he-wants-the-case\/\" title=\"Orange County D.A. Says If L.A. County\u2019s Gasc\u00f3n Won\u2019t \u2018Seek ...\u2019 For Slain Six-Year-Old, He Wants The Case\">district attorney won<\/a> her reelection bid that year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis reported misconduct necessitates Judge Ross\u2019s recusal because, if Judge Ross is indeed the Subject Judge, it creates the appearance of bias,\u201d the DOJ said in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/fingfx.thomsonreuters.com\/gfx\/legaldocs\/gdvzaxrqzpw\/05292026doj.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/fingfx.thomsonreuters.com\/gfx\/legaldocs\/gdvzaxrqzpw\/05292026doj.pdf\">court filing<\/a> signed by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"10095\">Harmeet Dhillon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA judge who attended a party celebrating the election of a Democrat best known for prosecuting a Republican President for alleged election interference cannot then preside over a case concerning that President\u2019s efforts to ensure election integrity,\u201d the Justice Department\u2019s memo continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contacted the 11th Judicial Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for comment. Ross serves on the Atlanta-based federal court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge has also come under fire for reportedly having sex with a high-ranking Atlanta police officer in her court chambers, where her staff could hear the sexual tryst. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The DOJ said its recusal request did not concern the incident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Final Report also found other instances of misconduct\u2014namely, \u2018improper sexual activity in chambers with a law enforcement officer\u2019 and \u2018lack of candor\u2019 during the investigation of the Judicial Complaint\u2014but those are not the subject of this Motion,\u201d the filing states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2014, then-President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"360\">Barack Obama<\/a> nominated Ross for the federal bench. She was confirmed by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> later that year. Before then, she served as a state judge in DeKalb County for three years and worked as a state and federal prosecutor for more than a decade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ross scheduled a hearing in the DOJ\u2019s case against Raffensperger for June 3, but that hearing could be delayed if the department\u2019s recusal request is granted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Georgia is one of many states that the DOJ is suing over their voter rolls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4561482\/gop-inroads-election-security\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4561482\/gop-inroads-election-security\/\">GOP MAKES INROADS WITH ELECTION SECURITY THROUGH PIECEMEAL STRATEGY AS SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the defendant, Raffensperger argues that state law prohibits the release of voters\u2019 confidential personal information unless the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/some-senate-democrats-urge-biden-not-to-strike-a-deal-with-mccarthy-on-debt-ceiling\/\" title=\"Senate Dems advise Biden against debt ceiling deal with McCarthy.\">federal government meets<\/a> certain conditions. The Republican official sent a publicly available portion of the statewide voter roll to the DOJ in December, but he refuses to hand over the rest of the voting information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Willis previously charged Trump and his allies with attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, but a Fulton County Superior Court judge dismissed the criminal case a year after Trump won the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ seeks recusal of Judge Eleanor Ross in Georgia voter data suit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2608634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26150500362416.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32417,7076,38351,4835,27590],"class_list":["post-2608633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-court-case","tag-doj","tag-georgia-election","tag-misconduct","tag-recusal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26150500362416.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608633"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608637,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608633\/revisions\/2608637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}