Federal judge faces trial on charges of being 'super drunk' while driving
A Michigan federal judge is facing trial on drunk driving charges after a crashing in October and showing a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, according to press reports. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Michigan federal judge is facing trial on drunk driving charges after a crashing in October and showing a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, according to press reports.
Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the U.S. 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 and reported by Bloomberg Law and the Midland Daily News.
Ludington, 72, was freed after posting a $500 bond. He pleaded not guilty Oct. 6. A status conference in his case is set for Feb. 9. His jury trial is set for Feb. 27 in the 90th District Court in Emmet County, Michigan.
Under Michigan law, because his blood alcohol level was above 0.17, the judge was considered “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.
In an email to Bloomberg Law, Ludington’s attorney, Jonathan B. Steffy of Harris Law, said he’s “conferring with my client and team today” and would “reach out after that.”
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