ATLANTA — The federal government can keep the 2020 election ballots from Georgia’s Fulton County that were seized by the FBI from a warehouse near Atlanta, a judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee’s decision came after lawyers for the county had argued that the ballots and other election materials, as well as any electronic copies the Justice Department has made, should be returned because the seizure was improper and unconstitutional.
The Jan. 28 seizure by the FBI targeted the elections hub in Georgia’s most populous county, which is heavily Democratic and includes most of the city of Atlanta. Fulton County has been at the center of unfounded claims by President Donald Trump and his allies that widespread election fraud cost him the 2020 election.
[TIMELINE: Events from Fulton County 2020 election leading up to FBI raid]
The Justice Department has said it is investigating “irregularities that occurred during the 2020 presidential election in the County” and identified two laws that might have been violated. One requires election records to be maintained for 22 months, while the other prohibits procuring, casting or tabulating false, fictitious or fraudulent ballots.
Georgia’s votes in the 2020 presidential race were counted three times, including once by hand, and each count affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s win.
RELATED STORIES:
- DOJ wants names of every person who worked during 2020 election in Fulton County
- Judge denies Fulton County request for documents from FBI election raid
- FBI conducts raid at Fulton County election hub tied to 2020 election
- Unsealed warrant shows why FBI agents ordered to raid Fulton County election offices
- Body camera video gives look inside FBI raid at Fulton County Elections Hub
- FBI election raid: Fulton County files for return of ballots, reason behind seizure
- Inside look at the warehouse FBI raided for election documents in Fulton County
“The seizure in this case was certainly not perfect,” Boulee wrote in his 68-page ruling. But he went on to say that Fulton County did not establish that its rights were callously disregarded “either through the lack of probable cause, omissions in the Affidavit or by the manner of the execution of the seizure.”
The county also failed to show that it needs the documents or will be irreparably harmed if they are not returned, he wrote, noting this is particularly true because the Justice Department has given the county copies of the documents.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
