Judge rejects Justice Department attempt to get names of 2020 election
workers in Fulton County
[July 08, 2026]
By KATE BRUMBACK
ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice cannot have the names and
personal contact information for every person who worked during the 2020
election in Georgia’s Fulton County, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
The Justice Department served a grand jury subpoena in April seeking the
names and personal contact information of county employees and volunteer
poll workers. President Donald Trump has long claimed without evidence
that widespread voter fraud in Georgia's most populous county, a
Democratic stronghold, cost him victory in the state in 2020.
Fulton County asked a judge to quash the subpoena, arguing it was meant
to “target, harass and punish the President’s perceived political
opponents” and that it was “grossly over broad and untethered to any
reasonable need.”
“Given the low need for the subpoenaed information and the highly
burdensome nature of the disclosure of the same, the Subpoena is
unreasonable and must be quashed,” U.S. District Judge William Ray wrote
in his ruling, calling the scope of the request “staggering.”
“We are proud of our efforts to push back against these improper demands
that only serve to undermine confidence in our elections,” Fulton County
Attorney Soo Jo said in a statement.
An email seeking comment was sent to the Justice Department.
While grand juries often work with federal prosecutors to investigate
alleged crimes, “that does not give the DOJ the right to use the Grand
Jury to do whatever the DOJ wants,” wrote Ray, who was nominated to the
bench by Trump.
Even if the records sought by the Justice Department could help find
people who worked for the county during the 2020 election who support
the theory that the election was unfair, the information couldn't be
used to charge anyone because the statute of limitations has passed, Ray
wrote.
The subpoena came after the FBI in January served a search warrant at
the Fulton County election hub and seized hundreds of boxes of ballots
and other documents from the 2020 election. A federal judge in May
denied the county's request to force the federal government to return
the ballots.
The Justice Department argued in a court filing that the subpoena was
the “next step in the normal investigative process” and that it seeks
“records identifying persons with relevant knowledge.”
Kamal Ghali, a lawyer for the county, argued during a hearing in May
that the subpoena “will chill participation by election workers” and
that the statute of limitations for any of the alleged misconduct had
already lapsed.
[to top of second column]
|
Stickers sit on a table inside a polling place, Nov. 5, 2024,
in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Justice Department lawyer William McComb argued that the statute of
limitations issue is not relevant at the investigative stage.
“My point is, as we sit here now, we are not sure what charges can
be brought. That's the whole point of the investigation,” he said.
The FBI is also using some 260 staffers across the country to help
examine records in the Fulton County investigation, according to an
agency memo.
The judge noted that the Justice Department had expressed concern
about possible criminal actions in the years that followed the
election. But he noted that the subpoena seeks information related
to what happened during the 2020 election and its immediate
aftermath.
“In these hyper-political times in which we currently live, there
are sure to be some who disagree with this decision because they
believe the allegations of fraud in the 2020 Election and believe
that ‘light’ should be brought to those claims,” Ray wrote.
He added that nothing prevents continued investigation into those
allegations by people who believe those claims — such as Congress or
even the Justice Department — but the power of the grand jury,
“which exists to investigate potential crimes and to bring viable
indictments” cannot be used for that purpose. Otherwise, anyone in
power could use the grand jury process to subpoena personal
information of citizens “with no legitimate law enforcement
purpose,” he wrote.
“Thus, everyone, whether you support the President or you do not, or
whether you believe the 2020 Election was fair or believe that it
was not, should be concerned about the DOJ’s ability to utilize the
power of the Grand Jury to appropriate your private information
without a legitimate purpose,” Ray wrote.
The judge also agreed that providing the subpoenaed information
could make it harder for Fulton County to recruit election workers.
Those who help run elections “should be valued and are necessary for
successful elections in Fulton County going forward,” he wrote.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
