U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington of Michigan was charged with drunken driving following his arrest on October 3, with a blood-alcohol level of 0.27, well above the legal limit of 0.08.
A federal judge in Michigan was charged with drunken driving after police arrested him when his car struck two signs in Petoskey, according to body-camera video obtained by The Detroit News. U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington had a blood-alcohol level of 0.27, well above the legal limit of 0.08, following his arrest on October 3. A state trooper said Ludington had repeatedly failed to properly blow into a blood-alcohol device.
Body-Camera Evidence
In the body-camera video, Ludington, handcuffed and placed in a patrol car, uttered a vulgarity at the trooper. He could not explain the damage to his car or why his airbags had deployed. He told the trooper he hadn’t been drinking, adding at one point: “Actually, I’m a federal judge.”
Two Decades on the Bench
Ludington, 72, has served as a federal judge in Bay City for about 20 years. He has remained on the federal bench in the months since his arrest. The case against him is pending in Emmet County.
A message seeking comment from Ludington’s lawyer was not immediately returned.