When we last checked in on Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan, the 72-year-old jurist was accused of driving “super drunk,” with a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit. Now, thanks to a newly released police report, we have more detail about just how impaired the judge allegedly was — and it’s not pretty.
According to the report cited by Bloomberg Law, after crashing his vehicle back in October, Ludington struggled through field sobriety tests in ways that would be concerning in a 22-year-old spring breaker, let alone a life-tenured federal judge. Asked to recite the alphabet from C to Q, Ludington reportedly offered: “A, B, C, D, F, U.”
He also allegedly told the responding trooper — twice — that he was a federal judge, which is certainly one way to try to establish credibility while “he appeared to have urinated himself.” Ludington said he hadn’t been drinking, and claimed he didn’t remember crashing. Police said they smelled alcohol. A post-crash blood draw later clocked him at 0.27. Bloomberg has additional details:
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The trooper tried to give Ludington a breath test, but the judge either couldn’t properly blow or understand the instructions. On a fifth attempt the trooper told the judge he’d consider his actions a refusal if he didn’t perform the test the right way, after which the judge became “argumentative” and the test ended.
Ludington was handcuffed, put in the front seat of the patrol vehicle, and taken to a hospital, where his blood was drawn. Emergency department staff medically cleared him, after which he was taken to jail and released upon posting a $500 bond.
It’s one thing for a federal judge to find himself facing a DUI charge. It’s another for the public record to include allegations that he couldn’t complete the alphabet and responded to instructions with what reads like a middle-schooler’s idea of edgy humor.
Ludington — a George W. Bush appointee who remains on the bench — has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 or more and operating while intoxicated. His jury trial is scheduled for May 8.
Federal Judge Couldn’t Recite Alphabet in Field Sobriety Test [Bloomberg Law]
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Earlier: Federal Judge Arrested, Accused Of Driving While ‘Super Drunk’
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.