If
you
thought
the
drama
surrounding
Judge
Thomas
L.
Ludington (E.D.
Michigan)
had
peaked
with
a ,
a
0.27
BAC
reading,
and
months
of
secrecy
about
the
incident,
think
again.
Yesterday, Fix
the
Court —
a
nonpartisan
group
that
advocates
for
greater
transparency
reforms
in
the
federal
courts
—
filed
a formal
judicial
misconduct
complaint against
Ludington
with
the Judicial
Council
of
the
Sixth
Circuit,
alleging
that
his
conduct “maligns
his
office
and
is
inconsistent
with
the
high
standard
of
conduct
that
federal
judges
are
expected
to
follow.”
This
complaint,
backed
by
a
detailed
statement
of
facts,
police
reports,
and
contemporaneous
reporting,
marks
the
latest
escalation
in
a
matter
that
has
already
done
more
damage
to
public
confidence
than
most
judicial
scandals
in
recent
memory.
Fix
the
Court’s
complaint
isn’t
playing
nice.
It
recounts
the October
2025 crash
in
which
Ludington
was
found
behind
the
wheel confused
and
disoriented,
unable
to
explain
why
his
airbags
deployed,
and
twice
identifying
himself
as
a
federal
judge
—
even
after
failing
multiple
field
sobriety
tests.
A
toxicology
report
revealed
a
blood-alcohol
level well
above
the
legal
limit,
yet
that
information
undisclosed
for
roughly four
months until
a
local
newspaper broke
the
story.
Fix
the
Court
doesn’t
just
outline
the
arrest,
it explicitly
calls
out
the
delay
in
reporting,
noting
that
Ludington
continued
to
hear
dozens
of
new
cases
right
up
through
February18,
even
as
the
criminal
matter
lingered
in
the
background
while
the
public
remained
in
the
dark.
The
complaint
argues
that
these
facts
meet
the
statutory
grounds
for
admonishment
under
the Judicial
Conduct
and
Disability
Act,
and
that
the
Sixth
Circuit
should not let
Ludington
quietly
slide
back
into
the
judiciary’s
shadows.
Here’s
an
excerpt
from
the
complaint:
On
the
afternoon
of
Feb.
23,
E.D.
Michigan
released
a
statement
saying
that
Ludington
“has
volunteered
to
take
a
leave
of
absence
from
the
Court
pending
resolution
of
the
state
legal
matter.”
That
is
a
prudent
decision
in
our
view,
but
unfortunately,
the
statement
does
not
indicate
whether
Ludington
sought
treatment
or
undertook
any
other
measures
to
try
to
instill
confidence
in
his
work
product
while
the
OWI
case
hung
over
his
head.
The
statement
also
means
taxpayers
are
on
the
hook
for
some
$50,000
in
paid
leave,
if
not
more.Due
to
the
Oct.
3
incident,
we
believe
that
Judge
Ludington
meets
the
grounds
for
admonishment
under
the
Judicial
Conduct
and
Disability
Act,
if
not
a
recommendation
for
retirement
under
28
U.S.C.
§372
or
worse,
and
that
he
should
be
disciplined
as
the
Chief
Judge
and
Judicial
Council
deem
fit.
Fix
the
Court
goes
on
to
explicitly
ask
the
council
to consider
continuing
the
investigation even
if
Ludington
retires
during
the
pendency
of
the
matter,
and
to look
into
the
delay
in
public
disclosure.
For
now,
Ludington
remains
on
leave,
with
a
state
criminal
trial
set
for May
8 and
a
judicial
misconduct
complaint
now
hanging
over
him.
As
we’ve
previously
documented
in
these
pages,
a
judge’s
behavior off
the
bench can
have
real
effects on
the
bench,
and
when
the
institution
itself
appears
to
circle
the
wagons,
public
trust
erodes
even
further.
This
complaint
may
not
be
the
end
of
the
story,
but
it
sure
as
hell
makes
the
next
chapter
harder
to
ignore.
Judicial
Misconduct
Complaint [Fix
the
Court]
Earlier:
Federal
Judge
Accused
Of
Driving
‘Super
Drunk’
Takes
‘Voluntary’
Leave
From
The
Bench
Federal
Judge
Arrested,
Accused
Of
Driving
While
‘Super
Drunk’
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
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on LinkedIn.