Federal judge won’t recuse in UPS race bias case amid misconduct inquiry

The allegations, acknowledged by Ross in public court filings, have prompted some lawmakers to draft articles of impeachment against her.

Ross granted the federal government’s recusal request in its case seeking Georgia’s unredacted voter rolls, acknowledging in a June 15 order that her attendance at an election event sponsored by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ campaign could be perceived as problematic.

The judge’s attendance at the event was part of the misconduct outlined in a report by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which did not name the judge. The court ordered the judge, subsequently identified as Ross in multiple media reports, to send apology letters to former staff, among other things.

Since handing over the voting case, Ross has denied several other recusal requests stemming from the 11th Circuit report, saying those requests failed to show that her disqualification is warranted.

In her order Wednesday denying Lester’s request, Ross said he couldn’t demonstrate that any of her decisions in the case, including an ultimate finding in UPS’ favor, had unfairly prejudiced either party.

“Plaintiff’s argument for disqualification based on the undersigned’s chambers operation fares no better,” Ross wrote.

Attorneys for Lester and UPS did not respond Thursday to inquiries about the ruling.

UPS had opposed Lester’s recusal bid, saying in a June 17 filing the request was meritless.

“Nothing in Lester’s motion identifies a basis for disqualification, so the motion should be denied,” the company said.

Last month, Ross similarly denied separate recusal requests from self-represented litigants, including an Atlanta man suing the city and one of its police officers over his brief detainment following a car collision.

That plaintiff, Samuel Ghee, sought Ross’ recusal on June 23, saying in part that her reported extramarital affair with a high-ranking Atlanta police officer meant she couldn’t be impartial in his case.

In an order denying Ghee’s request two days later, Ross said her relationship with an Atlanta police officer ended in October, citing the 11th Circuit report. She said that was “well before” Ghee’s case, involving claims against a different officer, was assigned to her in early June.

“Although this case is against an APD officer and the undersigned had an intimate relationship with an APD officer, that officer is not a Party,” Ross wrote. “Also, to the best of the undersigned’s knowledge, that officer does not have a substantial interest in this case against an APD officer in her personal capacity and the City of Atlanta and is not likely to be a material witness here.”

The city and the police officer sued by Ghee did not respond in court to his recusal request, though they have asked Ross to dismiss the case.

Ghee said Thursday he plans to seek the 11th Circuit’s review of Ross’ rulings in his case.

In late May, the Atlanta Police Department announced an investigation into the relationship between the judge and officer outlined in the 11th Circuit report.

The 11th Circuit said the affair lasted two years, in which the judge and officer had sex in the judge’s chambers multiple times during work hours and within earshot of the judge’s staff. It said the judge did not preside over any case in which either the officer or the police department was a party between Jan. 1, 2022, and Oct. 10, 2025.

In a separate case, Ross recently denied a recusal request from Ian Jackson, a criminal defendant charged with defrauding the federal government of coronavirus pandemic relief funds. Jackson filed a handwritten letter June 15 saying he saw, to his “shock and dismay,” news reports about Ross’ alleged misconduct, which he said constituted “blatant and willful violations” of Georgia’s constitution and judicial ethics code.

In her June 18 order denying Jackson’s recusal request, Ross said in part that he “identifies no conduct giving rise to a question of the undersigned’s impartiality in this case.”

Court records show Jackson subsequently pleaded guilty on June 30 and is scheduled to be sentenced in late September. A defense attorney appointed to assist Jackson did not respond Thursday to an inquiry about the case.