Georgia Fulton County 2020 Election Records Seizure Challenge

A pro-voting lawsuit seeking the return of 2020 election records seized by the FBI in Fulton County, Georgia.

Background

Fulton County officials filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking the return of approximately 656 boxes of original 2020 election records seized by the FBI. The petitioners — Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts and the county Board of Registration and Elections — argue that the seizure was unlawful and showed a “callous disregard” for the Fourth Amendment, state sovereignty, and privacy rights under the First Amendment. According to the motion, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lacked a valid legal basis to seize the records because the search warrant relied on repeatedly debunked claims of voter fraud and federal statutes whose record-retention requirements and statutes of limitations had already expired. Petitioners are asking the court to order the immediate return of the election records, prohibit the DOJ from reviewing any copies of the seized materials pending resolution of the case, and unseal the warrant affidavit and all other evidence necessary to decide the motion.

Why It Matters

Fulton County has been at the center of numerous debunked claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election pushed by President Donald Trump and his supporters. The FBI’s unprecedented seizure of 2020 election ballots in the county in January 2026 has further inflamed fears of federal interference in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. The raid comes amid an ongoing federal probe of the 2020 election in Georgia, directed by Trump. In December, the DOJ sued Fulton County for access to ballots and other election records from the 2020 presidential vote. 

Latest Updates

• March 18, 2026: The parties must notify the court as to the outcome of the mediation by March 18. The court appointed Harold Melton, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, to mediate this dispute.
• Feb. 25, 2026: The court canceled the Feb. 27 evidentiary hearing and ordered the parties to mediation.
• Feb. 23, 2026: The Fulton clerk of court, Che Alexander, filed a motion to join the case. The judge granted the motion.
• Feb. 20, 2026: DOJ filed its response to Fulton County’s amended motion and a motion to vacate the evidentiary hearing.
• Feb. 17, 2026: Fulton County filed its amended motion.
• Feb. 10, 2026: The FBI’s search warrant affidavit was unsealed.
• Feb. 7, 2026: A federal judge ordered the clerk to unseal the docket for this case and further ordered the FBI search warrant affidavit to be unsealed by close of business on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
• Feb. 5 2026: Petitioners filed their emergency motions.