By Manny Marotta

Last month, Fix the Court learned that E.D. Mich. Judge Thomas Ludington was arrested in October for drunk driving but managed to push it under the rug and hear cases for four months before the news came to light.

Today, thanks to long-time state court expert Cynthia Gray, we’ve learned of another Midwest judge facing a similar set of circumstances but who has managed the incident somewhat more ethically and professionally.

Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Renee Worke (at right; courtesy of Owatonna.com) was arrested on Nov. 29, 2025, for DWI, registering a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16. She cooperated with police, submitted to a breath test and (unlike Ludington) did not reference her judicial status during the stop. Then, she self-reported to the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards and provided a detailed written account of the incident. In other words, she owned up immediately. Worke pleaded guilty in January to one count of misdemeanor DWI and was placed on supervised probation.

This month, the Minnesota Judicial Board publicly reprimanded her, citing the seriousness of impaired driving and the heightened responsibility judges bear in enforcing the law. The Board noted her 30 years of service, her acknowledgment of wrongdoing and her cooperation with law enforcement and judicial discipline officials. While calling her conduct “egregious,” the Board emphasized that her transparency and acceptance of responsibility were central components of the incident’s resolution.

The response in the Ludington case has followed a remarkably different path, as noted above, as Ludington continues to hear cases and has made no public statement about the incident or whether he intends to seek treatment or step down.

Though one is a state judge, and the other is a federal judge, but both of them — and all judges — should be held to the same high ethical standards, and we will work hard to ensure that they are.