I'm actually a federal judge. Okay. Blow hard, okay? Blow long and steady till I tell you to stop. You're sucking on it now. I beg your pardon? You're sucking on it now. Yes. Was this here when you started your drive up from Bay Can you pick a number between 19 and 21 for me? I assess 15. As you pick a number between 19 and 21 and you pick 15? Yep. Okay. Sir, can you get out of the vehicle or is your door stuck? No. I can get out. I'm not exactly sure why uh these deployed. You're not sure why? No. Okay. Well, the side of your car would indicate that you struck something. Like what? Okay. Let me do a favor walk around the back of your car there. Okay. Just do me a favor turn stop stop stop stop. I was going to say turn off. Yep. Right here. Back your car. Yep. Back your car. Sir, step over to the back of your car. Yep. Step up. Put your butt against the back of your car. Come on get out. Right here. Okay. Okay. Perfect. What's your name? My name? Yeah. Tom. Tom. Tom, how much have you had to drink today? Uh nothing tonight. >> Nothing? No. Okay. Did you take anything? You on any medications? No. Okay. Well, you were in an accident here. You struck some signs. Your vehicle was called in. You have full airbag deployment, so it tells me you struck something, right? All right. So, there's something going on. Yep. All right. Do you have any head injuries? Any history of head injuries? Uh no. >> No, never been knocked unconscious? No. Okay, no concussions or anything? I'm actually a federal judge. Okay. Are you able to see my finger right here? Yeah. I want you to just go ahead and put your hands by your side. Take one step away from your vehicle for me. Away from your vehicle for me. Yep. Step toward me one step. Yep. Toward me one step. Okay, very good. All right, sir. Will you go ahead and put your feet together for me? Yep. Put your hands by your side. Do you see my finger? Want you to look at look at my finger, okay? You're looking at me. I need you to look at my finger. Yep. Okay? Yep. All right. Want you to follow my finger with your eyes without moving your head, okay? You understand that? Yep. Okay. I need you to look at my finger. Yeah. All right, and follow my finger. >> I understand. Okay. All right. I need you to follow me with my finger okay? >> Yep. Yep. All right, you're not you're not tracking my finger. All right, you're looking at me. Want you to look at my finger for me, all right? Yep. Look at that. Can you see the thing? Okay. Track my finger with your eyes without moving your head. Yes, sir. All right, moving your head. I need you to move just your eyes. All right, not doing that at all. Okay, sir. What I want you to do is I want you to imagine a straight line running from the back of your car down the hill there, okay? Yep. And place your hands by your side for me. Keep them there for me. All right. And walk. No. No, sir. I want you to follow my instructions. Just I'll tell you when to begin. All right, want you to imagine that straight line right there. Yeah? Okay. Want you to place your left foot on that line. Want you to place your right foot in front of your left foot with your heel touching your toe. Can you do that for me? I think so. No, sir. All right, sir. Want you to just wait right here. Let's step up back up against your car. Want you to lean against your car for me. So, I want you to be honest with me. Tell me how much you had to drink today. Seriously, I don't think I had anything. You don't think so? Where are you coming Where are you coming from? Um federal court in Bay City, Michigan. In Bay City? Yeah. So, you've driven all the way up from Bay City? Do you have any history of driving drunk at all? You've been arrested before? No. No. Okay, sir. I I've dealt with a lot of people who have. Yeah, I understand that. All right. So, what I'm going to do is ask you to take a preliminary breath test for me. Yep. Okay. So, as the peace officer you, I'm sure you understand the state of Michigan you're required to submit to a preliminary breath test. Do you have any questions about that? Nope. What I want you to do is take a deep breath from the bottom of your lungs, blow long and steady until I tell you to stop. >> Yep. Okay, can you open your mouth for me? I beg your pardon? >> Yep. Can you open your mouth for me? You got gum in your mouth, don't you? Okay, go ahead and finish that for me. I'm going to have to wait just a moment before we do the next one since you have that gum in your mouth. >> Yep, I understand. All right, see sir right over here? Yeah. You see the damage to the side of your vehicle? Yeah. Okay. Was this here when you started your drive up from Bay City? It was not. No. Okay. And we had a report that your vehicle struck some signs on the road about a mile back that way. Okay? Which would explain your airbag deployment. Here in Emmett? Yeah, on on this road. It's about a mile back that way. I I I can't explain You have no memory hitting the signs? No. Okay. Your airbags just deployed. Yeah. About how long were you driving with those airbags deployed? Well, I can't tell you that I know when this deployed. I don't. I have no memory of that. All right, no memory of it at all. So, you don't take any medications at all? None. None? No. You haven't taken anything today? No. Can you pick a number between 19 and 21 for me? I beg your pardon? Can you pick a number between 19 and 21? Yeah, that's not hard, but I mean, why? What would be Just a a question I'm trying to assess assess 15. Okay. So, as you pick a number between 19 and 21 and you pick 15? Yep. Okay. All right, you're federal judge. I assume you have advanced levels of education. Yeah, I think so. Okay, sir. So, you know your ABCs, right? I do. Okay. What I want you to do is I want you to recite your ABCs for me without singing beginning with C and ending with Q. Hm. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Q. Go ahead and take another preliminary breath test. All right, sir. I want you to take a deep breath from the bottom of your lungs, blow long and steady till I tell you to stop. Yep. Blow hard for me. Okay, we got to stop. All right. Deep breath bottom of your lungs, blow long and steady, okay? Like you're blowing up a balloon. That That ain't going to Do it. All right. Got to take a deep breath. Yeah. >> Blow hard like you're blowing up a balloon, Yeah. okay? Yeah. that deep breath. Blow long and steady till I tell you to stop. You're sucking on it now. I beg your pardon? You're sucking on it now. I need you to blow. I can feel when you're blowing, all right? Yeah. So, take a deep breath Yep. from the bottom of your lungs. Like that. Blow long and steady till I tell you to stop. Take your deep breath. Take a deep breath. Blow. Blow hard. Harder harder harder. Okay? We're going to try something else here, all right? Want you to try that again. Take a deep breath. What what what are we doing here? We're taking a preliminary breath test cuz you're not following my instructions. Why not? Cuz you're not blowing. Okay. I beg your pardon? You're not blowing through the straw. Yeah. You got to blow through the straw for the test to talk What am I not doing? You're not blowing. Okay? So, without this here, take a deep breath for me. Yeah. Take a deep breath. Yep. Now, go ahead and take the deep breath now. Yep. Blow out hard like you're blowing up a balloon. Yeah. I get it. Okay. What do you have in mind? I want you to give me do that as me for me as an example. Like this. All right. Yep. My experience has been that people have a tendency to roll up and then roll down. Okay. And you're always trying to figure out where they are in that process. All right. All I want you to do is blow through the straw. Right. Okay? If you don't blow through the straw, I'm going to take that as a refusal. Sure. Okay? I get it. So, will you blow for me? Yeah, and I have. Three times. Nope, didn't blow, all right? Cuz the machine can sense when you blow, okay? I beg your pardon? The machine can sense when you blow. All right, so if you don't blow again, I'm going to take that as a refusal. All right? We've done it three times. >> No, you haven't done it. Why? >> Okay. Because you haven't blown through the tube like I directed you to. Okay? So, are you going to blow? Well, I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Okay. Go ahead and take that for me. All right, sir. Turn around and place your hands behind your back. You're going to be under arrest for operating under the influence tonight. I need you to interlace your fingers for me. Turn your palms together. I'm arresting you for driving operating under the influence, sir. Well, well You are very clearly intoxicated. I've got the odor of alcohol coming from you even though you say that you haven't had anything to drink today. You were involved in a motor vehicle accident. You're unable to follow simple instructions or take any of the tests that I'm offering you here. So, I'm going to go ahead and put you in my vehicle. Come on with me. Come on, walk with me. I I believe I am. I'm going to need to Get in back. Okay. Go ahead and stand up against that door for me. What in the hell are we doing? I've told you, sir. You're under arrest. Yeah, well, I get that. I mean, that's daily business for for me. >> Yeah, I understand. All right, go ahead. Turn around. You're going to sit in the seat. Yeah. Sit down. Okay. Yep. Place your feet in the vehicle. Yeah. Place your feet in the floorboard of the vehicle. All right, where are we going? >> We're going to jail. Okay? What you just watched was the October 3rd, 2025 arrest of Thomas Ludington, a 72-year-old federal judge serving on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Michigan State Police say Ludington crashed his Cadillac into two road signs in Springvale Township, Michigan before troopers located him and conducted field sobriety tests. A later blood test reportedly showed he had a 0.27 BAC, which is more than three times the legal limit. He was quickly arrested and booked into the Emmett County Jail and charged with operating while intoxicated and operating with a high blood alcohol level under Michigan's super drunk law. He had a bond of $500. Following the arrest, Ludington took a leave of absence from the bench, but he has not been removed as federal judge, and the case is still moving through the courts. Please like and subscribe for more videos. >> [music] [music]