The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a motion seeking the recusal of U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross from a federal election records case involving Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
In the filing, the Justice Department argues that Ross should step aside because of reports identifying her as a federal judge who was privately reprimanded by the Eleventh Circuit for attending what investigators described as a partisan political event connected to then-Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
According to the motion, the Judicial Council concluded the unidentified “Subject Judge” violated judicial conduct rules by attending a campaign event for a Democratic district attorney candidate, “best known for prosecuting a Republican President.”
The report said the event was political in nature and noted concerns that it could undermine public confidence.
The DOJ filing cited media reports suggesting Ross was the judge referenced in the misconduct investigation. The department argued that if Ross attended a political event celebrating Willis—who prosecuted President Donald Trump over alleged 2020 election interference—it would create an appearance of bias in a separate election-integrity lawsuit brought by the Trump administration.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ, posted a copy of the brief on X.
“In case y’all are wondering … the GA motion to recuse,” Dhillon posted.
The underlying lawsuit concerns the federal government’s attempt to obtain Georgia voter registration records from Raffensperger under federal election law.
In December 2025, the DOJ filed federal lawsuits against Georgia, the District of Columbia, Illinois, and Wisconsin for not turning over their full voter registration lists upon request.
In February, the DOJ said it filed federal lawsuits against five more states for not providing full voter registration lists, increasing the number of states facing litigation to 29 and the District of Columbia.
“Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in February. “This latest series of litigation underscores that this Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance, and secure elections across the country.”
Willis and her office were later disqualified from the case by the Georgia Court of Appeals because of what the court described as an appearance of impropriety involving Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The Georgia Supreme Court declined to review the ruling, leaving the disqualification in place. A replacement prosecutor then dismissed the remaining charges against Trump and his co-defendants.
