Andrew Clyde launches push to impeach an Atlanta federal judge amid scandal

Today’s newsletter highlights

• Test your knowledge with our weekly news quiz.
• How last week’s rain affected Georgia’s drought.
• Nikema Williams weighs in on the Trump administration’s MARTA safety probe.

Judicial scandal

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The court privately reprimanded a judge. (Mike Stewart/AP)

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, said he is drafting articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross after news reports publicly identified her as the judge privately reprimanded by a judicial conduct panel.

That came days after the U.S. Justice Department pressed Ross to recuse herself from an election-related lawsuit, saying her reported appearance at a campaign event for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis creates “the appearance of bias.”

Official records have not named the reprimanded judge. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has not independently confirmed the judge’s identity.

But the federal government said in court filings Ross has been publicly named by various news reports this week as the judge privately reprimanded for having a two-year affair with a high-ranking police officer, in which they had sex in the judge’s chambers multiple times during work hours and within earshot of the judge’s staff.

Clyde, an Athens Republican, said the judge’s “egregious misconduct, severe lack of integrity and blatant impartiality” warrant the proceedings. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary chair, has said his staff has put together a memo outlining the findings.

Whether the impeachment push advances is uncertain. Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment, a rare step in Congress. Only 15 federal judges have ever been impeached, with the last coming in 2010.

“Stay tuned,” Clyde wrote.

Friday news quiz

U.S. Sen Raphael Warnock, left, and then-Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams listen to President Barack Obama speak in Atlanta in 2022. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Good morning! How closely did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter

During this week’s Atlanta Press Club debates, Nikki Porcher — a Democratic candidate for insurance commissioner — accused her opponent, Michelle “Michi” Sanchez, of what behavior?

• A) Falsifying a campaign finance disclosure to make it look like she has raised more money.
• B) Posting content on her social media account that uses a racial slur.
• C) Claiming endorsements from elected officials who had not endorsed her.
• D) Falsely accusing Porcher of violating a state ethics law.

Democrats criticized Gov. Brian Kemp this week over what decision?

• A) Declining to extend a suspension of the state gas tax amid rising prices because of the war with Iran.
• B) Deploying state troopers to MARTA trains to combat what he called a violent crime wave.
• C) Refusing to let Georgia lawmakers debate a state Earned Income Tax Credit during the special session.
• D) Opting out of a federal after school program.

Republican candidate for governor Rick Jackson skipped a debate with Burt Jones this week to hold a campaign event with what elected official?

• A) Gov. Brian Kemp.
• B) U.S. Sen. Rick Scott
• C) Attorney General Chris Carr
• D) U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and former Democratic nominee for governor Stacey Abrams endorsed different candidates in the Democratic primary for what statewide race?

• A) Lieutenant governor
• B) Insurance commissioner
• C) Secretary of state
• D) Labor commissioner

Drought update

A map from the U.S. Drought Monitor showing the extent of the drought in Georgia. (Screenshot)

Last week’s rain didn’t wipe out Georgia’s drought, but it sure made things better.

Updated maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor show 24% of Georgia is now in “extreme drought,” down from 56% last week.

Still, more than half the state remains in “severe drought” while the entire state is still listed at least “abnormally dry.”

The bad news is much of South Georgia is still in “extreme drought.” That’s where a wildfire has burned more than 22,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes since April.

The National Weather Service says a “drier air mass” has settled over North and central Georgia and will remain in place through Saturday.

Listen up

There is no “Politically Georgia” podcast today. We’ll be back on Monday.

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Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Hint of skepticism

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, speaks at her event Hustle & Grow, a small business resource fair, at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta last month. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, said she is open to a partnership between local and federal issues to improve safety on MARTA trains.

But she is not convinced that an investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation is in good faith. In fact, Williams said she has “serious concerns” about the motivation behind the probe that launched in response to the fatal stabbing of a woman riding a train last weekend.

“Since taking office, President Trump has repeatedly used federal agencies to target cities and communities that do not align with his political agenda. If the Administration is truly concerned about public safety, it should focus on providing resources and support — not launching politicized investigations,” Williams said in a statement.

The AJC’s Sara Gregory, Shaddi Abusaid and Charles Minshew reported the Trump Administration has also opened investigations into transit agencies in other Democratic-run cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. The agency launched a similar inquiry into Charlotte’s public transit agency in North Carolina last year following the killing of Iryna Zarutska on a train.

Today in Washington

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

• President Donald Trump will participate in a roundtable on agriculture in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
• The House and Senate are done for the week.
• U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, will hold a hearing on gun violence prevention alongside Democratic members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime.

Reconciliation bill

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pauses for questions from reporters before voting on the immigration enforcement funding package at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

The U.S. Senate early this morning signed off on the reconciliation bill that will fund immigration enforcement for the next several years to the tune of $70 billion.

That the bill passed strictly along party lines with all but one Republican in favor and all Democrats opposed was not surprising. That was the plan all along and why the reconciliation process was used in the first place.

But the tough amendment votes along the way and the arm-twisting required to keep Republicans on board was a headache of Trump’s own making. That was not the plan.

Although no changes were ultimately made, a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in seeking to add language to the bill barring the White House from creating a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. There was also an attempt to pass an amendment blocking construction on Trump’s White House ballroom, which also drew some GOP support but failed.

Ultimately, only Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the bill with Democrats, including Georgia’s U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. The House was scheduled to quickly pass the legislation today. But enough Republicans were going to be absent that House Speaker Mike Johnson postponed the vote until next week and sent members home early.