A Georgia Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment Tuesday against an Atlanta judge over allegations that she had sex in her chambers and then denied it to investigators before changing her account when evidence surfaced.
The filing puts formal legislative pressure on a judge already facing a serious ethics cloud and gives Georgia lawmakers a direct role in deciding whether the allegations rise to the level of removal. It comes as the judiciary is confronting a run of three high-profile incidents this week in three different states.
The Atlanta case is the sharpest of those episodes because it moves beyond rumor and into an impeachment process. The judge is accused of conduct that, if proved, would cut directly against the standards expected of anyone wearing the robe.
That standard has been underlined by former federal judge Jeremy Fogel, who said when judges act badly, even in their private lives, it reflects badly on everyone else. He added that the focus in all three cases has to be the larger reputation of the judiciary and not just the three individual judges involved.
The other cases have added to the sense that judicial discipline is being tested in public. In Idaho, Ninth Circuit Appeals Court Judge Ryan Nelson pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge after a parking lot confrontation in April in which he allegedly grabbed a motorist's glasses and stomped on them. Chief Ninth Circuit Judge Mary Murguia opened an investigation Monday and said the courts had only very recently received the information.
Nelson's lawyer said he was embarrassed by the incident and that it was out of character. The lawyer also said Nelson reached out immediately afterward, offered an apology and full compensation for the sunglasses, and intends to continue working through the proper process.
In Michigan, U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington faced arraignment Monday after state law enforcement said he failed to undergo required alcohol testing as part of his probation. Ludington took paid leave this year after being reported for a DUI arrest and later pleaded no contest to a lesser misdemeanor charge.
His lawyer said Ludington is making every effort at compliance with all court orders and that current tests show complete and continued sobriety. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals declined comment.
For the Georgia case, the unanswered question is what evidence prompted investigators to reverse course after the judge initially denied the allegation. The impeachment filing starts the formal process, but the record made public so far does not say how far lawmakers plan to take it or when they will act next.
