Obama-Appointed Judge Reprimanded for Chambers Affair, Sentenced Todd Chrisley

When federal district court judge Eleanor Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in prison back in November 2022, few could have predicted that her own professional reputation would later face serious scrutiny. But that’s exactly what happened when Bloomberg Law unmasked Ross this week—revealing that the Atlanta-based judge had been reprimanded for conduct that makes courtroom scandals look quaint by comparison.

Ross, who was appointed by President Obama during his second term, was found by a judicial conduct committee to have engaged in sexual relations with Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Kelley Collier in her chambers during business hours. The encounters weren’t exactly private either—they reportedly occurred within earshot of her law clerks. It’s the kind of headline that writes itself, especially given the irony that just a few years earlier, Ross was the one wielding the gavel over high-profile cases that demanded judicial composure and ethical clarity.

The timing and context here add another layer of complexity. Todd Chrisley, the reality TV personality Ross sentenced in that bank fraud and tax evasion case, was released early after President Trump pardoned him last year. Now he’s not shy about calling out what he views as a fundamental breach of judicial integrity. His social media response has been unsparing—and while his words are blunt, they underscore a real question about judicial credibility. How can a judge fairly oversee cases involving serious financial crimes while simultaneously engaging in behavior that violates basic professional ethics?

Ross is married to Brian Ross, a Georgia state court judge and former state prosecutor who was present during her 2014 Senate confirmation hearing. The personal stakes here—the impact on her marriage, her career, her legacy—are substantial. But the broader implications matter more: this story raises uncomfortable questions about accountability, power dynamics, and whether the judicial system polices itself effectively when judges cross ethical lines.

What makes this more than just celebrity gossip is that it’s a reminder that prestige and presidential appointment don’t guarantee judgment—in either sense of the word. Eleanor Ross made decisions that affected lives, including Todd Chrisley’s. Now her own conduct is under the microscope, and the contrast is impossible to ignore.