Atlanta federal judge investigation: Reprimand affirmed for courthouse misconduct

ATLANTA - An Atlanta federal district court judge faces a formal reprimand after a judicial committee affirmed she engaged in an extramarital affair and had sexual intercourse with a high-ranking police commander inside her courthouse chambers. The lifetime-appointed judge remains on the bench but faces multiple internal sanctions following complaints from her staff.

Atlanta federal judge investigation

What we know:

An internal investigation revealed that an Atlanta federal district court judge engaged in an extramarital affair with a high-ranking Atlanta Police Department commander. According to a report by the Judicial Council, the two repeatedly had sexual intercourse during business hours in the judge's chambers at the Richard B. Russell Federal Courthouse. Several law clerks exposed the situation after complaining that they could hear the sexual activity occurring within earshot of their workspaces. Surveillance footage, courthouse sign-in logs, emails, text messages and interviews with six former law clerks confirmed that the commander frequently visited the courthouse in uniform during lunch to engage in the inappropriate activity.

Unconfirmed judicial details

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed the specific identity of the federal district court judge or the Atlanta Police Department commander involved in the scandal. Fox5 has secured the names but is not yet naming them. It remains unclear exactly when the extramarital relationship first began. The judicial report does not indicate the  timeframe the workplace encounters occurred before staff members raised alarms.

Courthouse disciplinary action

What they're saying:

The Judicial Council privately reprimanded the judge in February, and a special committee affirmed the disciplinary order last week. Under the agreed sanctions, the judge must write six letters of apology to her former law clerks, forfeit any future service as a chief judge and indefinitely refrain from serving on any judicial conference committees. The special committee explained that it carefully considered more severe sanctions but decided against them because the judge corrected her initial false statements, ended her relationship with the commander and had an otherwise clean record of exemplary service to the court. However, because she holds a lifetime federal appointment, Congress is the only entity that can completely remove her from office.