U.S. District Judge Ada Brown (Photo: District Courts/Wikipedia)
A federal judge is under fire for emailing sealed court documents to about 140 people, Bloomberg Law reported Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, appointed by President Donald Trump in his first term, is accused of misconduct for widely spreading confidential materials.
The Judicial Council for the Fifth Circuit filed an order Tuesday that revealed the extent of the information the judge shared and confirmed she was already under investigation for misconduct. The documents also included sealed court papers that were unrelated to the misconduct allegations.
“The Committee has since learned that Judge Brown sent these documents to approximately 140 judges, lawyers, and members of the press,” Tuesday’s order said, according to Bloomberg. The outlet also said it, along with other legal media outlets, received Brown's email.
When Bloomberg sought clarification, it didn't get a response email, and emails to her federal courts address came back as "undeliverable."
Brown, who serves on the Northern District of Texas’s Dallas division, faced a special committee of judges that included, Bush appointee, Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the Fifth Circuit, Obama appointee, Fifth Circuit Judge James Graves Jr. and Bush appointee, Chief Judge Alia Moses of the Western District of Texas.
Brown indicated she would not participate in the proceedings against her and the judges all encouraged her to reconsider. She was then asked to appear before the committee on Oct. 30 and said that she had the right to present evidence in her defense.
“The Committee implores Judge Brown to exercise these rights and comply with the Committee’s investigation,” the Tuesday order said. “If she refuses, the Committee must proceed with its obligation to file a report of its investigation, including findings and recommendations for action by the Fifth Circuit Judicial Council, without the benefit of Judge Brown’s response.”
If Brown refuses to participate, Bloomberg explained that they may ultimately be forced to expand the scope of the investigation, the order warned.
The committee ordered Brown to answer its questions about the disclosure of confidential material and the sealed court papers. It also suggested it wanted to know about an unspecified “parallel investigation” that Brown claimed she also has refused to participate in.
She must respond by Oct. 27, the order said.
Another Bloomberg Law report revealed that court documents show Brown issued almost no court orders after Aug. 10, 2026, in "protest." A recusal letter wasn't entered into a case's docket and that sparked the protest. Investigators said that she'd “abandoned her post as a federal judge” and alleged she didn't respond when asked when she planned to return to work.
Investigators also said Brown withdrew from more than 40 cases starting June 1. Sometimes she offered an explanation or cited "unusual" reasons.