Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, November 13, 2026 — Real World News
Who exactly are U.S. federal judges? Why do they make over a quarter million dollars a year for life and how do they skirt accountability for ruling on cases in which they have documented financial interest?
On Oct. 3, 2025, U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington was arrested for drunk driving following a single-vehicle crash in Emmet County, Michigan.
The Marco Polo research organization, which made a name for itself by documenting more than 400 violations of law from data revealed by its indexing of the abandoned Hunter Biden laptop, is attempting to answer the above questions with a new database called ThirdBranch.
Related: Research group moves on from Biden laptop to scrutiny of federal judges, November 10, 2026
Marco Polo founder Garrett Ziegler describes it as “the first — and only — complete pictorial & biographical directory of the entire Senate-confirmed federal judiciary (district, appellate, & SCOTUS). ThirdBranch details every judge’s professional & family connections & any potential conflicts that could/should warrant recusal.”
Today’s Marco Polo profile is of Judge Thomas Lamson Ludington of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The George W. Bush appointee is making $249,900 in 2026, which is eye-opening considering he has been on paid leave since being arrested in October 2025 in a drunk driving crash.
Ludington, 72, crashed his Cadillac in northern Michigan. Police said his blood alcohol level was 0.27. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08. The state has a high-BAC law (often called the “Super Drunk” law) that triggers harsher enhanced penalties at 0.17% or higher.
“This is who rules over you & can imprison you,” Ziegler noted.
During his traffic stop the judge was asked by a police officer to “pick a number between 19 and 21.” The judge chose “15.”
Here’s Ludington’s traffic stop:
