A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice does not have to return 2020 election ballots seized by FBI agents to Fulton County.
It is the latest twist in the bitter fight between Fulton County and the Trump administration over the county’s 2020 election records. Fulton could appeal the ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Fulton had challenged the FBI’s January seizure of more than 600 boxes of ballots and other election materials. The Justice Department had taken the records as part of a criminal inquiry into Donald Trump’s 2020 loss in Georgia.
In Wednesday’s order, U.S. District Court Judge J.P. Boulee wrote that, “The seizure in this case was certainly not perfect.”
“The events leading up to this case are, in a variety of ways, unprecedented,” he added.
But ultimately, he said, Fulton had failed to prove they had been harmed.
“Petitioners have not shown that their rights were callously disregarded either through supposed defects in the warrant or through the manner in which the warrant was executed,” Boulee wrote.
The ruling is a substantial blow for Fulton officials as it may have been the county’s best shot at reclaiming the election documents.
Fulton County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has repeatedly blamed his 2020 loss in Georgia on voter fraud. Multiple inquiries have found those claims baseless.
This is a developing story. Please return to ajc.com for updates.
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