It wasn’t the scandal heard around the world, just a single judge’s chambers. Yet inside the Atlanta-based U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the walls proved far too thin after a Black judge was reprimanded for engaging in sexual intercourse–in her chambers—during business hours.
For over a decade, Judge Eleanor Ross built a respected reputation in Atlanta. In 2013, the former Fulton County prosecutor was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in late 2014. She also became the first Black woman to serve as a judge on the Northern District of Georgia.
However, a newly exposed report released by the Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability of the Judicial Conference of the U.S. has cast a stark light on what the Eleventh Circuit called a “gross lack of judgment” inside her judicial chambers.
Judge Ross is accused of having sex with a uniformed police department commander in her chambers and in earshot of law clerks, according to multiple sources including Bloomberg Law and NBC 15 News.
The allegations stemmed from a 20-page investigative report compiled by Chief Judge William Pryor, who appointed a special committee to investigate numerous allegations against Ross, which was reviewed by Channel 2 Action News. Although the investigative report does not publicly identify the judge or the police officer involved, multiple sources confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that the individuals referenced are U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross and Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Kelley Collier.
Employees working in the judge’s office told investigators that over the span of two years, they could hear “unsettling noises” through the walls that they believed were sexual encounters. The sounds of kissing and music coming from the judge’s chambers were also overheard, according to the report.
The pair’s relationship and noisy sexual romps resulted in a “chambers workplace that was extremely uncomfortable and troubling for clerks.”
According to Bloomberg Law, Chief Collier served as the “commander of a certain division” since 2025. A committee report noted Judge Ross did not preside over any case in which he nor the police department was a party between January 2022 and October 2025.
Federal law allows judges’ identities to remain confidential during misconduct investigations, former federal prosecutor Doug Gilfillan told Channel 2 Action News. A private reprimand was issued to Ross by the chief judge overseeing the matter, but, disciplinary actions must be made public.
According to the report, Ross accepted responsibility for her conduct and agreed to apologize in writing to former employees. The only reason more harsh consequences weren’t issued was because of Ross’s “exemplary service” to the court, her taking accountability and her relationship with Collier ending.
Judge Ross initially denied the accusations, calling them “baseless.” Eventually, she admitted to the affair and sexual encounters in chambers, per the documents.
Now, Bloomberg Law reported she is prohibited from serving as chief judge or other judicial leadership roles.
