Federal judge Tom Ludington (R) sentenced in 'super drunk' driving case [View all]
U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington was sentenced to six months' probation Wednesday for drunk driving, capping a rare criminal case against a federal judge whose intoxicated, belligerent and slurring behavior during an October arrest has sparked an investigation into his conduct.
He was sentenced by 90th District Judge Angela Lasher seven months after police say a witness called 911 saying they watched the judge crash into two signs along a curved road in Springvale Township, east of Petoskey, on Oct. 3.
He was considered legally "super drunk" because he registered a 0.27 % blood-alcohol level ― more than three times the 0.08 % legal limit — and Ludington continued hearing cases for four months until after The News revealed the judge's arrest.
Ludington pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated in exchange for the dismissal of a more serious super drunk charge. The judge is not expected to return to the federal bench in Bay City immediately amid an investigation by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prompted by a misconduct complaint against him filed by a judicial watchdog group.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/05/13/federal-judge-tom-ludington-sentenced-in-super-drunk-driving-case/89975593007/
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