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🇺🇸 United States /Crime & Justice

Judge rejects DOJ's attempt to get names of 2020 election workers in Fulton County

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A federal judge rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's attempt to obtain the names and contact information of Fulton County, Georgia, election workers from the 2020 election.
  • The judge ruled the subpoena was unreasonable and overly broad, citing the low need for the information and the burdensome nature of disclosure.
  • The ruling comes after the FBI seized ballots and documents from the county's election hub, and amid ongoing claims of voter fraud by former President Trump.

A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Justice from obtaining the personal information of Fulton County, Georgia, election workers. The judge ruled Tuesday that a grand jury subpoena seeking the names and contact details of county employees and poll volunteers was "unreasonable and must be quashed."

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 RayIn his ruling explaining why the Department of Justice's subpoena was rejected.

The Justice Department had sought the information in April, as former President Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in Georgia's most populous county. Fulton County officials had asked the court to quash the subpoena, arguing it was intended to "target, harass and punish the President's perceived political opponents."

U.S. District Judge William Ray, who was nominated by Trump, described the scope of the request as "staggering." He noted that even if the information could help identify individuals who believe the election was unfair, it could not be used to bring charges due to the statute of limitations having passed. The judge also pointed out that the DOJ's investigative needs were low compared to the burden of disclosure.

Fulton County will continue to do all that is needed to assure Georgia citizens that our election process is fair and proper and to show that the attacks against it are baseless.

— Robb PittsChairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, reacting to the judge's ruling.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts applauded the ruling, stating, "Fulton County will continue to do all that is needed to assure Georgia citizens that our election process is fair and proper and to show that the attacks against it are baseless." The Justice Department has not yet commented. This ruling follows an earlier FBI seizure of hundreds of boxes of ballots and documents from the Fulton County election hub.

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.

— William McCombA lawyer for the Justice Department, arguing about the statute of limitations during the court proceedings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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