This is the type of story that will make you feel like you need a shower after reading it.
In the hallowed halls of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, where justice is meant to be served, an Obama-appointed federal judge apparently decided to turn her chambers into a love nest for her lover and herself, much to the chagrin of staffers.
Judge Eleanor L. Ross is known for becoming the first black woman to serve in this role after a long career as a federal prosecutor. She presided over the 2022 fraud and tax evasion trial of reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who she sentenced to prison.
But now, she’s known for having loud wild, wild circus sex with a police commander in her office on a regular basis — even though she is already married.
Her affair with 55-year-old Police Department Deputy Chief Kelley Collier began in 2023 and lasted until 2025. Ross is 67 years old. However, instead of ducking into cheap motels or sneaking in and out of each other’s homes, the duo decided the judge’s chambers would be the perfect place for their trysts.
Unfortunately, they didn’t think about the thin walls. Law clerks in adjacent offices reported hearing “moaning,” “kissing sounds,” and “other noises consistent with intimate activity” , according to a complaint. Ross and Collier often engaged in their antics during regular business hours — often at lunchtime.
One clerk described their behavior as so disturbing that they had to leave the office for the entire day. Another recalled that the judge would crank up the music to mask the sound, but apparently, that didn’t work. The complaint says the workplace became “extremely uncomfortable and troubling.”
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Investigators even went so far as to test a stained couch cushion in her chambers for, er, fluids. Of course, this also created a conflict of interest as Collier’s department often appears in federal cases.
The investigation began when a law clerk lodged a formal complaint in late 2025. The 11th Circuit’s special committee began a full investigation into the matter. Investigators scoured sign-in logs, security footage, and interviews with six former clerks who verified the raunchy noises coming from Ross’ chambers.
Ross responded to the allegations with a heartfelt apology to her coworkers, her husband, and the public and pledged to do better in the future.
Just kidding.
You already know how that went, don’t you? The judge lied through her teeth when confronted with the allegations. She called the claims “outrageous” and “baseless” and denied doing the nasty in her office or anywhere else in the courthouse. She even accused a “disgruntled” law clerk of making the whole thing up.
Only later did she finally tell the truth. She referred to her previous denials as “absolute dishonesty” driven by panic over her marriage and career. She said she had no idea other people could hear the commotion.
So what was Ross’ punishment for this torrid state of affairs? She got a private reprimand and she has to write apology letters to the former clerks who were forced to hear her extracurricular activities. Also, she must “indefinitely refrain” from serving on certain Judicial Conference committees.
However, she retains her lifetime appointment and will still hear cases. But at least the workplace will no longer sound like a pornographic film studio.
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