Judge disciplined for sex in chambers and lying to investigators apologizes for 'offensive conduct'

A federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found that she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and then lied about it wrote a letter to a former law clerk apologizing for her “harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior.”

An investigation initiated last year by the chief judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit found that U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross had sex in the courthouse with a high-ranking uniformed police officer within earshot of staff, attended a partisan event and initially lied when confronted with the allegations. Ross wrote in the letter dated Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press that her “actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse.”

“You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict,” says the letter, which was first reported by The New York Times.

Ross was nominated to the bench in the Northern District of Georgia in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

The investigation of Ross began after one of her law clerks reported that on multiple occasions the judge had engaged in sexual activity with a high-ranking uniformed police officer in her office during working hours. It also was alleged that the judge didn’t properly supervise clerks and on one occasion yelled and cursed at staff.

Ross received a “private reprimand” that didn’t publicly name her after the investigation confirmed the allegations against her. She also agreed not to seek the position of chief judge of the district when eligible and to write apology letters to six former law clerks.