The U.S. Justice Department has initiated legal proceedings against Fulton County, Georgia, escalating a prolonged dispute over access to 2020 presidential election materials. Filed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division, the lawsuit demands comprehensive access to all utilized and voided ballots, ballot stubs, signature envelopes, and corresponding digital files from the contested election.
The legal action alleges violations of the Civil Rights Act by Fulton County officials, who previously asserted that the requested materials remained sealed and inaccessible without judicial authorization. This development represents the latest chapter in the ongoing political and legal saga surrounding Georgia’s pivotal role in determining the 2020 presidential outcome, which saw then-President Donald Trump narrowly defeated by Joe Biden in the state.
The Justice Department’s involvement follows an October subpoena that election authorities declined to honor, prompting federal intervention. Dhillon emphasized the department’s commitment to electoral integrity in an official statement, declaring: “This Department of Justice will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by federal elections laws. If states will not fulfil their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will.”
This litigation occurs against a complex backdrop of previous legal challenges. Trump’s campaign and allies filed numerous lawsuits alleging electoral irregularities in Georgia following the 2020 election, particularly focusing on Fulton County and the Atlanta metropolitan area. These efforts included the now-famous January 2021 telephone conversation wherein Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” – precisely one more than needed to overcome Biden’s margin of victory.
The current federal lawsuit emerges just weeks after the dismissal of a separate criminal case against Trump in Fulton County. District Attorney Fani Willis had pursued racketeering charges alleging a criminal conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s election results, but the case encountered procedural obstacles before being formally dismissed earlier this month. That prosecution had been considered particularly significant since presidential pardon powers do not extend to state-level convictions.
Fulton County officials have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the Justice Department’s latest legal action.