Michigan Federal Judge Awaiting Drunken-Driving Trial

[douglas9]

A Michigan federal judge is awaiting trial on drunken-driving charges following his October arrest, during which officials said his blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.

Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan faces misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 or more and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to the complaint filed by a local prosecutor.

His jury trial is set for Feb. 27 in the 90th District Court in Emmet County.

Ludington, 72, was freed after posting a $500 bond. He pleaded not guilty on Oct. 6. A status conference in his case is set for Feb. 9.

The judge was considered legally “super drunk” when he crashed his wife’s 2019 black Cadillac near his northern Michigan vacation home and struck two traffic signs on a curved rural road, according to the Detroit News, which cited state police and court records in first reporting on the incident Monday.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/michigan-federal-judge-awaiting-trial-on-drunken-driving-charges

[WestMichRad]

1. Was appointed by Shrub

and unanimously confirmed in 2006. One of 15 federal district court judges for the Eastern Division of Michigan, Judge Ludington is the only federal district judge covering the northeast quadrant of the lower peninsula, ranging from the Saginaw Bay Area counties to Cheboygan. He reportedly “treats those with whom he interacts with dignity and respect. He is a kind and gracious man.” (Wikipedia)
But he apparently has a drinking problem…