If
there
was
ever
a
cautionary
tale
about
how
not
to
handle
the
optics
when
a
judge
becomes
a
defendant
in
the
very
system
they
oversee,
the
latest
episode
involving
Thomas
Ludington,
the
federal
judge
accused
of
driving
“super
drunk,”
checks
all
the
boxes.
The
Eastern
District
of
Michigan
announced
that
Ludington,
72,
has
decided
to
voluntarily
go
on
leave
pending
the
resolution
of
his
drunken-driving
charges
stemming
from
an
October
arrest
that
only
recently
came
to
public
light.
As
noted
in
our
prior
coverage,
the
judge
allegedly
blew
a
0.27
blood-alcohol
level
—
more
than
three
times
the
legal
limit
—
after
crashing
his
vehicle
and
after
he
was
asked
to
recite
the
alphabet
from
C
to
Q.
Reuters
received
the
following
comments
from
the
Eastern
District
of
Michigan
concerning
Ludington’s
leave:
“Since
the
Court
became
aware
of
the
charges,
it
has
taken
all
appropriate
steps
to
address
the
matter
consistent
with
its
obligations
to
the
public,
the
federal
judiciary,
and
of
course,
to
Judge
Ludington,”
the
district
court
said
on
Monday.It
said
it
“recognizes
the
seriousness
of
this
matter”
and
that
Ludington
had
volunteered
to
take
a
leave
of
absence.
It
added
that
the
law
“accords
to
every
citizen
the
presumption
of
innocence,
due
process,
and
many
other
rights.”The
official
court
statement
leans
heavily
into
boilerplate
about
due
process
and
presumption
of
innocence,
but
judges
are
not
immune
from
scrutiny.
When
officers
of
the
court
end
up
on
the
other
side
of
a
criminal
filing,
it’s
a
moment
for
the
judiciary
not
just
to
nod
to
due
process
but
to
demonstrate
it
in
practice.We’ve
been
here
before
with
judicial
misconduct
stories
that
test
public
faith
in
the
system.
When
a
judge’s
behavior
becomes
the
news
—
especially
for
something
like
a
DUI
—
transparency
and
swift
accountability
are
expected
(and
often
demanded).
But
in
this
case,
there
was
a
delay
of
months
between
the
incident
and
widespread
reporting,
and
in
the
interim,
the
judge
continued
hearing
cases.
That
kind
of
lag
isn’t
great
for
public
confidence.Ludington
—
a George
W.
Bush
appointee
—
has
pleaded
not
guilty
to
misdemeanor
charges
of
operating
a
vehicle
with
a
blood-alcohol
content
of
0.17
or
more
and
operating
while
intoxicated.
His
jury
trial
is
scheduled
for
May
8.
Michigan
federal
judge
charged
with
drunken-driving
goes
on
leave
[Reuters]
Earlier:
‘A,
B,
C,
D,
F,
U’:
Field
Sobriety
Test
For
Federal
Judge
Who
Allegedly
‘Urinated
Himself’
Goes
Remarkably
Off
Script
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
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