Fani Willis spent years trying to put Donald Trump in prison over the 2020 Georgia election.
Now a federal judge is deciding whether Trump gets the voter rolls he needs to win in 2026.
What that judge did with Fani Willis just got her thrown off the case.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross – an Obama appointee – was assigned to hear the Justice Department's lawsuit demanding Georgia turn over its unredacted voter rolls ahead of the 2026 midterms.
In 2024, Judge Ross attended Fani Willis' campaign victory party.
Willis is the Fulton County District Attorney who led the witch hunt against Donald Trump and his allies over the 2020 Georgia election results.
Ross and Willis weren't just at the same party – they worked together at the Fulton County DA's office before Willis took the top job.
The DOJ didn't let it slide.
"A judge who attended a party celebrating the election of a Democrat best known for prosecuting a Republican president for alleged election interference cannot then preside over a case concerning that president's efforts to ensure election integrity," the Justice Department argued in its motion.
Ross pushed back, writing that her presence at the event was only for the purpose of "reuniting" with past colleagues and that recusal wasn't required.
She recused herself anyway – citing an "abundance of caution."
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the win, posting on X: "Judge Ross has granted our motion to recuse in the Georgia voter rolls litigation. Glad to see that our specific legal arguments and common sense prevailed in this motion."
Judge Eleanor Ross Impeachment Push and the Courthouse Misconduct Behind It
The victory party was just the beginning.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Judicial Council opened a misconduct investigation into Ross and hit her with a reprimand in early 2026 – one quietly issued without publicly naming her.
Investigators confirmed that Ross had a sexual relationship with Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Kelley Collier – not her husband – inside her chambers during regular business hours, at times within earshot of her own law clerks.
She lied to investigators when first confronted with the allegations.
The misconduct spanned 2023 to 2025 and included the Willis victory party attendance that ultimately ended her role in the voter rolls case.
A private reprimand was the only consequence – she kept her seat.
Rep. Andrew Clyde filed impeachment articles, pulling in 14 co-sponsors including Rep. Buddy Carter. Rep. Clay Fuller filed a separate resolution the same week. The House Judiciary Committee now has both on its desk.
"Judge Ross' deeply disturbing actions prove she is incapable of displaying integrity or impartiality," Clyde said. "She must be impeached and removed from the bench."
"This behavior is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated on any level within our courts," Fuller added.
Georgia Voter Rolls DOJ Lawsuit and What It Means for 2026
The DOJ filed suit against Georgia in December 2025, demanding the state's unredacted voter registration list – including Social Security numbers and dates of birth – to verify that only eligible voters are on the rolls ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, has been blocking the effort – hiding behind state privacy law to deny Trump the very data needed to find fraudulent registrations.
One federal judge in Macon already dismissed an earlier DOJ lawsuit on those grounds in January.
The Atlanta case – now assigned to a new judge – is the Trump administration's live attempt to get the voter data it needs before the midterms.
Dhillon stated the stakes plainly when she launched the effort. "The law is clear: states need to give us this information, so we can do our duty to protect American citizens from vote dilution," she said.
Democrats spent four years demanding Americans trust their elections while making it as hard as possible to verify them.
That judge is now gone from the case, facing impeachment, and the DOJ's fight to clean the rolls moves forward.
Georgia hosts one of the most consequential Senate races of 2026 – the GOP's single best pickup opportunity in the upper chamber.
Clean voter rolls in Georgia are not just about principle. They are about whether Republicans can hold the Senate.
Sources:
- Fred Lucas, "Link to Fani Willis Leads to Federal Judge Recusal in Georgia Voter Rolls Case," The Daily Signal, June 16, 2026.
- Mark Tanos, "Federal Judge Eleanor Ross Recuses Herself From Georgia Voter Rolls Case," The Daily Caller, June 16, 2026.
- "Impeachment Sought Against Federal Judge Over Alleged Sex in Chambers, Lying to Investigators," Fox News, June 15, 2026.
- "Georgia Congressmen Fuller, Clyde Seek Impeachment of Atlanta Federal Judge After Courthouse Sex Scandal Investigation," CBS Atlanta, June 10, 2026.
- "DOJ Is Suing Both Red and Blue States to Force Them to Clean Voter Rolls for 2026 Midterms," Just the News, December 20, 2025.
