U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, 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.Willis gained national prominence in 2023 when she indicted Donald Trump, then a former president, regarding his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Democratic district attorney ran for a second term in 2024 as she prosecuted Trump and others in the racketeering case. She was later disqualified from the case by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
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.
