Fulton County goes to court to demand return of ballots seized by FBI

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The “constitution is at stake in this fight,” a county commissioner says.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/04/georgia-fulton-county-2020-election-records

Officials in Georgia filed a court challenge Wednesday seeking the return of scores of election records seized by federal agents last week from a warehouse in Fulton County, which has been central to right-wing conspiracy theories about President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election.

Robb Pitts, chairman of the Fulton County board of commissioners, vowed county officials would use “every resource” to secure ballots and other material and cast the court fight as part of a broader effort to ensure the future of independent elections.

The county’s motion, which was filed under seal in federal court in Atlanta also asked the judge to unseal the investigative affidavit that agents submitted to secure their search warrant, Pitts said.

“Our very constitution is at stake in this fight,” he said at a news conference, adding later: “This case is not only about Fulton County. It’s about elections across Georgia and across the nation.”.....

Though the details of their court filing Wednesday remain sealed, county leaders have said they want to retrieve the records taken by the Trump administration and forensically audit the documents.

“To some extent, it’s almost too late at this point because the chain of custody has been broken,” Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said Monday. “They could add 11,000 records or lose 11,000 records … and we don’t have any way to counter any false narrative they come up with.”

The fact that this lawsuit was filed under seal is interesting.

[UTUSN]

1. K&R - since KRASNOV implicitly cedes that local elections aren't "Federalized," solid case?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Georgia's Fulton County demands return of ballots seized by FBI: new filing

The fact that this lawsuit was filed under seal is interesting. This will be a fun case to follow

Georgia's Fulton County demands return of ballots seized by FBI: new filing

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-02-04T15:44:35.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/fulton-county-2675082219

Georgia's Fulton County has filed a motion seeking the return of 2020 election ballots seized by the FBI, state election officials said Wednesday.

The motion has requested that the FBI return the records and ballots it took last week during a raid at a the county's election center warehouse, according to MS NOW.

The motion was under a seal and the details were not immediately released, MS NOW's Josh Einiger reported.

A county commission hearing was underway Wednesday and more details about the motion were expected to be revealed during an upcoming press conference, he added.

"Writ large, the big challenge for Fulton County is just to figure out how to get those ballots back," Einiger said. "Again, 700 boxes of ballots and other related documents seized by the FBI last week as part of this apparent wide-ranging investigation, although no one in Fulton County really can say for sure who or what is the actual target of this investigation. The biggest concern, Ana, though for election officials in Fulton County and the Fulton County Commission is that they could somehow in all this lose control of their voting systems as the midterms are just around the corner and of course, the next general election in 2028."

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. BREAKING: Fulton County files motion seeking return of 2020 ballots seized by FBI.

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Trump lawyers agree to unseal evidence presented for Georgia election raid

This case is over five years old. I have trouble believing that there was actual evidence necessary to support this type of search warrant. The affidavit and evidence used to get this search warrant will be released.

Trump lawyers agree to unseal evidence presented for Georgia election raid
www.rawstory.com/trump-267517...

— Philly Joe (@joehick58.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T21:55:15.456Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2675177182/

President Donald Trump's lawyers have agreed to unseal evidence they presented to secure a search warrant used to justify a recent raid at an election office in Georgia, according to a new court order.

Federal Judge J.P. Boulee of the Northern District of Georgia, a Trump appointee, wrote in a court order published on Sunday that Trump's lawyers have agreed to unseal the affidavit used to secure the search warrant for the Fulton County election hub. Boulee ordered the administration to publish the affidavit by the end of the day on February 10.

The order also requires the court to unseal the case docket, giving the public further insight into the Trump administration's evidence.

Politico's Josh Gerstein first reported on the court order.

Last week, Trump's FBI took more than 700 boxes of material related to the 2020 general election from the office. The search warrant states that the Trump administration can turn the material over to third-party vendors for inspection, which has raised concerns that the data could be used to manipulate the results of the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump has consistently claimed that he won the 2020 general election in Georgia, even though he was unable to support that claim in more than 60 court cases challenging the election results. Trump also called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and demanded that he find more than 11,000 votes for Trump to win the state.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. After court order, DOJ divulges search warrant affidavit for FBI's Fulton County election raid

This search warrant is totally bogus. It was issued based on allegations that had been litigated and disproved and the applicable statute of limitations had expired. This search warrant should had never been issued

After court order, DOJ divulges search warrant affidavit for FBI’s Fulton County election raid www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

— Ray Beckerman (@raybeckerman.bsky.social) 2026-02-10T19:59:47.145Z

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/justice-department-fulton-county-georgia-search-warrant-affidavit/

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Tuesday complied with a court order to publicly reveal the search warrant affidavit that initiated the FBI’s raid on an election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, last month.

Through the search, federal agents seized thousands of county records — including original ballots — from the 2020 presidential election, which President Donald Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed was stolen from him.....

The document reveals that the search was largely predicated on disinformation and debunked voter fraud claims pushed by private individuals since Trump’s loss.

The bureau’s sweeping search warrant against Fulton County’s main election operations center indicated that the raid stemmed from its investigation over alleged violations of election record retention and voter intimidation laws.

However, before the affidavit’s release, it was unknown what evidence, if any, the DOJ had presented to back the warrant.,,,,,

The local officials questioned whether prosecutors sufficiently established probable cause in securing the warrant. Instead, the officials said that there was a high likelihood that prosecutors presented widely debunked voter fraud theories.....

Despite the FBI’s warrant, the legality of the search has been in question. Legal experts noted that the statute of limitations for the crimes the bureau appears to be investigating has already lapsed.

The attorney who filed the request for this warrant should be worried about sanctions. This warrant is totally frivolous.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. Georgia Ballot Inquiry Originated With Election Denier in Trump White House (NYT Gift Subsription)

A newly unsealed affidavit showed that a criminal investigation into the 2020 election in Fulton County, Ga., relied heavily on claims about ballots that have been widely debunked.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/us/politics/fulton-county-kurt-olsen-fbi-search-2020-ballots.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LFA.DuFA.VTusLchR3vAU&smid=tw-share

An F.B.I. search warrant affidavit unsealed on Tuesday shows that a criminal investigation into 2020 election results in Fulton County, Ga., was set off by a leading election denier in the Trump administration and relied heavily on claims about ballots that have been widely debunked.

The unsealing of the affidavit in Fulton County is likely to raise more questions about the Trump administration’s use of the F.B.I. and Justice Department to revive old, largely disproved claims about the 2020 election in the state, which President Trump narrowly lost.

“The FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity,” the affidavit said. Mr. Olsen played a central role in Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, including speaking to the president multiple times on Jan. 6, 2021. He has continued to push false claims about elections, and was recently appointed to a key role in the Trump administration.

Many of the claims in the affidavit refer to long-held — and consistently debunked — conspiracy theories about elections in Georgia, including arguments about fraudulent and duplicate absent ballots, election machine tabulator tapes and missing ballot images. ....

In a court filing last week, Fulton County pointed to the many debunked conspiracy theories and previous investigations as a reason that the affidavit should be unsealed.

“The continued perpetuation of these unfounded allegations sows distrust around both judicial and electoral processes in Fulton County and the state of Georgia,” the county wrote. “Transparency is necessary to ensure public knowledge and confidence. At a minimum, the public has a right to know what its government is doing.”

This search warrant was issued based on really bad information. The attorney who filed for this search warrant needs to worry about sanctions.