Judge Thomas Ludington to get alcohol counseling in 'super drunk' case

Robert Snell, The Detroit News on Sep 22, 2026

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DETROIT — Thomas Ludington, a federal judge in Bay City, will undergo alcohol counseling and remain on paid leave for one more year from his job handling criminal and civil matters for much of the eastern half of Michigan following a judicial complaint and conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The counseling and paid leave, announced by the court Sept. 22, are the latest developments in a rare conviction of a federal judge with a lifetime appointment whose criminal case was first revealed by The Detroit News in January. Ludington had been arrested in October near Petoskey but kept working for more than four months until after The News revealed the arrest and a Michigan State Police trooper's body camera video of the incident was released.

Ludington's long-term job status has been murky amid an embarrassing scandal and questions about whether he drank alcohol on the job. He took voluntary paid leave from his $249,900-a-year lifetime appointment in February.

The suspension was announced seven months after Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization advocating for more openness and accountability within the federal court system, filed a misconduct complaint against Ludington. The complaint said Ludington met the grounds for admonishment, and possibly a recommendation for retirement under federal law, or worse, and he should be disciplined by the chief judge of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati and a council that oversees judicial conduct.

“So much has been covered up for so long, it really is a damning indictment of misconduct and the judge’s own ethical compass,” Roth told The News on Sept. 22.

“I understand not wanting to tell mom and dad this bad thing happened and keep it under wraps but that’s not how it works in the federal judiciary. It’s a position of trust. It’s going to come out. There has to be an accounting.”

Ludington, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush and commissioned to a lifetime appointment in 2006, said in a statement Sept. 22: "I’m 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."

Ludington's caseload has been handled by two colleagues since earlier this year. His civil caseload will be handled by the district's newest jurist, U.S. District Judge Michael Martin.

"The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan remains firmly committed to accountability and to the highest standards of judicial conduct and public confidence in the federal judiciary," the court said in a statement. "The court also fully supports Judge Ludington’s commitment to recovery."

During an Oct. 3 crash near Petoskey, Ludington, 72, appeared to have urinated on himself and was accused of failing field sobriety tests before registering a 0.27 % blood-alcohol level ― high enough to be considered legally "super drunk," Michigan State Police records show.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, U,” Ludington said when asked to recite part of the alphabet during one sobriety test, according to body camera footage from the incident The News obtained through a public records request.

Fallout after the crash and arrest

Ludington crashed his wife's Cadillac on Oct. 3 in northern Michigan and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated in April.

He initially faced up to 93 days in jail. In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher and the state considers 0.17 or higher as super drunk. The super drunk crime that was dismissed also is a misdemeanor but carries stiffer penalties of up to 180 days in jail and a one-year license suspension.

Though Ludington was accused of failing to submit to twice-weekly alcohol and drug tests as part of his probation, the issue was resolved and the judge was released from probation earlier this month, court records show.

According to the criminal case, a witness called 911 saying they watched Ludington crash into two signs along a curved road in Springvale Township, east of Petoskey, on Oct. 3.

Ludington has denied drinking alcohol Oct. 3 despite failing numerous field sobriety tests and has raised questions about how the alcohol got into his system and whether he was drugged.

“We are troubled that there was no alcohol found in the vehicle and no record of any alcohol purchase or consumption along his two-hour travel route,” Ludington's lawyer, Jonathan Steffy, previously told The News.

Ludington also denied drinking when questioned by a Michigan State Police trooper during the traffic stop, east of the judge's $2.7 million vacation home.

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