{"id":163394,"date":"2026-09-23T09:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/09\/23\/judge-with-infamous-a-b-c-d-f-u-sobriety-test-gets-another-year-off-the-bench\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T09:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:06:16","slug":"judge-with-infamous-a-b-c-d-f-u-sobriety-test-gets-another-year-off-the-bench","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/09\/23\/judge-with-infamous-a-b-c-d-f-u-sobriety-test-gets-another-year-off-the-bench\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge With Infamous \u2018A, B, C, D, F, U\u2019 Sobriety Test Gets Another Year Off The Bench"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we last caught up with Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan, his drunken-driving escapade had ended with a no contest plea and probation, but he still had a judicial misconduct complaint<\/a> hanging over his head. That matter has now been resolved, and the judge will remain off the bench for another year, on paid leave.<\/p>\n

As reported by Bloomberg Law<\/a>, Ludington has agreed to undergo treatment for alcohol use disorder and submit to regular testing while on leave through September 1, 2027. He\u2019ll continue to collect his nearly $250,000 annual salary during his treatment. If he resumes hearing cases, he must first take senior status and show through alcohol testing that he\u2019s capable of returning to the bench. He\u2019ll also undergo regular and random alcohol testing.<\/p>\n

Readers may recall the details that made this case so difficult to forget: After an October 2025 crash, Ludington registered a 0.27 blood-alcohol level and answered a request to recite the alphabet with \u201cA, B, C, D, F, U.\u201d<\/a> His arrest did not become public until months later. The judge stepped away from the bench in February, pleaded no contest<\/a> to a misdemeanor charge in April, and was sentenced to probation<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n

Ludington offered the following statement through his attorney:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m pleased to have resolved this matter, which is a stark reminder that even a federal judge can make an embarrassing mistake, one that warrants the fair resolution contained in the order. I look forward to resuming my judicial responsibilities and to the opportunity to apply the lessons I have learned from this painful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote in his order that Ludington\u2019s arrest \u201chad a serious adverse effect on the judiciary\u2019s reputation and the public\u2019s confidence in his ability to carry out his responsibilities,\u201d but credited the judge for taking steps toward sobriety. Ludington says he has been sober since February. <\/p>\n

Gabe Roth of Fix the Court, who filed the misconduct complaint, called the outcome fair but said it took too long to reach. Given how long the arrest stayed out of public view, that timing remains a fair question, even as the misconduct case comes to a close.<\/p>\n

Drunken-Driving US Judge Agrees to Counseling for Misconduct (3)<\/a> [Bloomberg Law]<\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: Ethics Questions Persist After Federal Judge Sentenced To Probation In DUI Case<\/a>
Judge Accused Of Driving \u2018Super Drunk\u2019 Takes No Contest Plea<\/a>
Federal Judge Accused Of Driving \u2018Super Drunk\u2019 Crashes Into Judicial Misconduct Complaint<\/a>
Federal Judge Accused Of Driving \u2018Super Drunk\u2019 Takes \u2018Voluntary\u2019 Leave From The Bench<\/a>
\u2018A, B, C, D, F, U\u2019: Field Sobriety Test For Federal Judge Who Allegedly \u2018Urinated Himself\u2019 Goes Remarkably Off Script
<\/a>Federal Judge Arrested, Accused Of Driving While \u2018Super Drunk\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Threads<\/a>, or connect with her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Judge With Infamous \u2018A, B, C, D, F, U\u2019 Sobriety Test Gets Another Year Off The Bench<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

When we last caught up with Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan, his drunken-driving escapade had ended with a no contest plea and probation, but he still had a judicial misconduct complaint<\/a> hanging over his head. That matter has now been resolved, and the judge will remain off the bench for another year, on paid leave.<\/p>\n

As reported by Bloomberg Law<\/a>, Ludington has agreed to undergo treatment for alcohol use disorder and submit to regular testing while on leave through September 1, 2027. He\u2019ll continue to collect his nearly $250,000 annual salary during his treatment. If he resumes hearing cases, he must first take senior status and show through alcohol testing that he\u2019s capable of returning to the bench. He\u2019ll also undergo regular and random alcohol testing.<\/p>\n

Readers may recall the details that made this case so difficult to forget: After an October 2025 crash, Ludington registered a 0.27 blood-alcohol level and answered a request to His arrest did not become public until months later. The judge stepped away from the bench in February, pleaded no contest<\/a> to a misdemeanor charge in April, and was sentenced to probation<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n

Ludington offered the following statement through his attorney:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m pleased to have resolved this matter, which is a stark reminder that even a federal judge can make an embarrassing mistake, one that warrants the fair resolution contained in the order. I look forward to resuming my judicial responsibilities and to the opportunity to apply the lessons I have learned from this painful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote in his order that Ludington\u2019s arrest \u201chad a serious adverse effect on the judiciary\u2019s reputation and the public\u2019s confidence in his ability to carry out his responsibilities,\u201d but credited the judge for taking steps toward sobriety. Ludington says he has been sober since February. <\/p>\n

Gabe Roth of Fix the Court, who filed the misconduct complaint, called the outcome fair but said it took too long to reach. Given how long the arrest stayed out of public view, that timing remains a fair question, even as the misconduct case comes to a close.<\/p>\n

Drunken-Driving US Judge Agrees to Counseling for Misconduct (3)<\/a> [Bloomberg Law]<\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: Ethics Questions Persist After Federal Judge Sentenced To Probation In DUI Case<\/a>
Judge Accused Of Driving \u2018Super Drunk\u2019 Takes No Contest Plea<\/a>
Federal Judge Accused Of Driving \u2018Super Drunk\u2019 Crashes Into Judicial Misconduct Complaint<\/a>
Federal Judge Accused Of Driving \u2018Super Drunk\u2019 Takes \u2018Voluntary\u2019 Leave From The Bench<\/a>
\u2018A, B, C, D, F, U\u2019: Field Sobriety Test For Federal Judge Who Allegedly \u2018Urinated Himself\u2019 Goes Remarkably Off Script
<\/a>Federal Judge Arrested, Accused Of Driving While \u2018Super Drunk\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to\u00a0email<\/a>\u00a0her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Threads<\/a>, or connect with her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we last caught up with Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan, his drunken-driving escapade had ended with a no contest plea and probation, but he still had a judicial misconduct complaint hanging over his head. That matter has now been resolved, and the judge will remain off the bench for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":163381,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-163394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}