Michigan federal Judge Thomas L. Ludington recited a portion of the alphabet as “A, B, C, D, F, U” during a field sobriety test following his 2025 drunken-driving crash, a state police report revealed.
He also twice identified himself as a federal judge after the arresting trooper and other law enforcement arrived at his damaged car, struggled to follow directions, and didn’t remember crashing or his airbags deploying, according to
a report released Thursday that provided new details about the incident.
The Eastern District of Michigan judge
was arrested in Emmet County, where he has a cottage, and a post-crash test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.27—far above the legal limit of 0.08.
Ludington, 72, is a President George W. Bush appointee who remains on the bench. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 or more and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. His jury trial is set for May 8 in the 90th District Court in Emmet County, in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula; a status conference is set for April 6.
Arrest Details
The police report describes Ludington as somewhat argumentative and unable to follow instructions during field sobriety tests.
Shortly after 9 p.m. on Oct. 3, a caller told a dispatcher that a black 2019 Cadillac CT6 was on the road with its hazard lights on after it twice veered off and struck signs. About 10 minutes later, a trooper found the car stopped in the entrance of a farm market with “significant passenger side damage and full side curtain airbag deployment.”
After sheriff’s deputies arrived, the trooper approached the car and asked Ludington to get out; the judge said he could get out but was “not exactly sure why” the airbags deployed. The trooper also said he smelled alcohol in the car.
Ludington appeared unsteady as he moved, and told the trooper that he had “nothing tonight” to drink and hadn’t taken any medication. The trooper told Ludington he was in a crash and “he appeared to have urinated himself.”
The judge said he didn’t have any head injuries and that he was a federal judge. The trooper administered field sobriety tests, but Ludington couldn’t follow instructions even though he tried multiple times.
For example, when asked to recite the alphabet beginning with C and ending with Q, he recited “A, B, C, D, F, U.” He then paused and put together a group of out-of-order letters.
When asked to be honest and tell the trooper how much he had to drink, Ludington shrugged and said “seriously, I don’t think I had anything.” He also said he came from “federal court in Bay City, Michigan” and was headed to his cottage. Ludington said he had no memory of damaging his car.
The trooper tried to give Ludington a breath test, but the judge either couldn’t properly blow or understand the instructions. On a fifth attempt the trooper told the judge he’d consider his actions a refusal if he didn’t perform the test the right way, after which the judge became “argumentative” and the test ended.
Ludington was handcuffed, put in the front seat of the patrol vehicle, and taken to a hospital, where his blood was drawn. Emergency department staff medically cleared him, after which he was taken to jail and released upon posting a $500 bond.
The judge’s attorney, Jonathan B. Steffy of Harris Law, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The case is Michigan v. Ludington, Mich. Dist. Ct., No. 2025-25-0564-SD, trial set 5/8/26.
