Atlanta federal judge recuses herself from DOJ voter roll lawsuit

An Atlanta-based federal judge on Monday recused herself from a voter roll lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross granted the DOJ's motion that sought her disqualification from the case because of her reported appearance at a campaign event for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Background on the case In a court motion filed last month, the DOJ cited reporting that identified Ross as the federal judge who attended a partisan event in honor of Willis. The federal government argued Ross's apparent connection to Willis "creates the appearance of bias" in an election-related case.

"A 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's efforts to ensure election integrity," the DOJ said in the court filing signed by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

" "Perceived support of Willis' position on election integrity could cause an objective observer to significantly doubt [Ross's] impartiality in this case," she wrote in the five-page order. In a social media post on Tuesday, Dhillon said she was "glad" about the successful outcome of the DOJ's recusal request concerning Ross.

m. Wednesday.

Additional context Ross was privately reprimanded following a court investigation into her alleged misconduct, according to reports. The investigation also centered on a law clerk's allegations that the judge had sex with an Atlanta police officer in her court chambers, where her staff could hear them.