Georgia judge quashes DOJ subpoena for Fulton County election workers
A federal judge blocked DOJ from prying into thousands of Fulton County election workers, calling the subpoena’s reach “staggering” and too thin for a viable charge.
U.S. District Judge William Ray II on Tuesday quashed a Justice Department subpoena that sought the names and personal information of thousands of Fulton County election workers from the 2020 election. In a 28-page ruling, he said the demand’s breadth was “staggering” and concluded the records would not lead to information supporting any viable criminal charge.
The subpoena was part of a grand jury investigation into alleged 2020 election irregularities in Fulton County, including a possible failure to preserve ballot images for the legally required period. It sought names, home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for people who worked the November 2020 election. Fulton County had moved to quash the request on May 4, arguing it was overbroad, burdensome and aimed at targeting and harassing perceived political opponents of President Donald Trump.
The case was sealed until Fulton County sought to unseal it, and the court had paused enforcement while it considered the county’s challenge. The subpoena itself was issued April 17.
Fulton County has remained one of the main targets of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Georgia’s certified results showed Trump lost the state to Joe Biden by 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast. Fulton County was also the site of Trump’s criminal prosecution over efforts to overturn his defeat in Georgia, a case that was dismissed in 2025 after District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified.
In January, the FBI searched a Fulton County elections warehouse and seized ballots and other documents tied to the 2020 election. County officials said the latest federal demand came amid fears of interference in the 2026 midterm elections, and Robb Pitts, the Fulton County Commission chairman, said it amounted to overreach that would intimidate election workers.
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