Thomas Ludington Federal

Federal Judge Thomas Ludington drove at more than three times Michigan's legal blood-alcohol limit, crashed his car, and then continued deciding federal cases for four months before any of it became public. On October 3, 2025, a witness called 911 after watching U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington crash his vehicle into two road signs on a curved road in Springvale Township, near Petoskey, Michigan — about 150 miles from Bay City, where Ludington sits on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. A state trooper who responded found damage to the vehicle and asked Ludington how much he'd had to drink; he initially said "Uh, nothing tonight," then failed three field sobriety tests.

His blood-alcohol level came back at 0.27% — more than three times Michigan's 0.08% legal limit, and above the 0.17% threshold state law defines as "super drunk." The arrest was not made public for roughly four months. Ludington continued hearing federal cases as usual during that time.

It became public only after the court watchdog group Fix the Court obtained and published a state trooper's body-camera footage of the arrest in February 2026. Ludington then took a voluntary paid leave of absence, and roughly 70 of his pending cases were reassigned to other judges.

In April 2026, Ludington pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the more serious "super drunk" charge. On May 13, 2026, a state district court judge sentenced him to six months' probation, fines and court costs, and twice-weekly alcohol testing.

Weeks later, in June 2026, Ludington was arraigned again — this time for allegedly violating his probation by failing to complete the required testing. He pleaded not guilty to the violation.

Separately, Fix the Court filed a formal judicial misconduct complaint against Ludington with the Sixth Circuit Judicial Council, arguing the four-month gap between the arrest and its public disclosure, on top of the underlying conduct, warrants formal discipline. That complaint remains pending. As of this writing, Ludington remains on leave and has not resumed judicial duties.