Judge lets DOJ keep Fulton County’s 2020 election ballots
A federal judge has blocked Fulton County, Georgia, from getting back more than 600 boxes of 2020 election ballots seized by the FBI.
U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee ruled the county failed to meet the high legal bar required to force the return of the records. But the judge didn’t spare the federal government, calling the FBI’s search warrant paperwork “defective” and “troubling.”
The DOJ investigation
The ruling allows the Justice Department to keep the materials as it investigates alleged “irregularities” in the county’s 2020 election. This comes despite Georgia verifying the 2020 results three separate times, including a manual hand recount, with every tally confirming Joe Biden’s victory.
Federal authorities say they are probing possible violations of election laws, including rules on retaining records and submitting fraudulent ballots. However, a government lawyer admitted in court that an actual indictment “remains to be seen.”
The next battleground
Fulton County leaders say they strongly disagree with the decision and are weighing their next legal steps. Their immediate focus now shifts to a separate fight. The Justice Department recently subpoenaed the names and contact information of thousands of local 2020 election workers and volunteers. Fulton County has filed a motion to throw that demand out, claiming it is nothing more than political harassment.
This legal clash feeds into a much wider push. The Trump administration is currently using federal law enforcement to target other key battlegrounds, recently demanding 2020 election files from Maricopa County, Arizona, and 2024 ballots from Wayne County, Michigan.
Round out your reading
- First, it was the schools. Now they’re coming for your cellphone at work.
- Why one of America’s top economic forecasters is worried about a recession.
- AI companies may not be adhering to their own guidelines — with potentially deadly outcomes.
- Data centers are a thorny issue for Democrats. Maine shows us why.
- We’re building a new Straight Arrow. Help us shape our future by taking our survey.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
