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

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Source: Washington Post

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.”

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

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The fact that this lawsuit was filed under seal is interesting

Link to tweet

[LudwigPastorius]

1. Does Trump's insanity here even have an end game?

Does he think that if he can "prove" the 2020 election went for him, he's going to be owed a make-up extra term?

Shit doesn't work that way, Piggie.

Meanwhile, the inviolable right of the States to run their own elections is being raped by Trump and Patel's goons.

[mdbl]

2. Good. They had no right to take them.

Glad they are doing something about it.

[bluestarone]

3. Gotta ask here. Could this have been stopped before they entered that building?

I mean, i really don't know, BUT i'm thinking a state law enforcement could have got involved? Until the warrant was gone over?

[reACTIONary]

6. I don't think so....

... a search warrant is not like a subpoena, where you are told to show up in x amount of time, giving you the opportunity to contest it. They can "execute" it with no advanced warning. If you resist, they can use force. In most cases this makes sense because it prevents hiding or destroying evidence.

You can contest it after the fact, as in this case. The court can order the evidence returned and prevent it from being used in any prosecution. Or, if it gets to trial, it can be thrown out then.

By the way, IANAL. Caveat emptor.

[bluestarone]

7. TY, i just thought there was a problem with who signed

The warrant. Maybe i misunderstood if the warrant was signed by the right judge?

[DavidDvorkin]

4. Those ballots have now been compromised

Although the point has to be made in court.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. 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]

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

Link to tweet

[orangecrush]

9. Gone forever, my gut tells me

[EuterpeThelo]

10. I am left wondering

given the importance of Georgia in the MAGA narrative that 2020 was "stolen," WHY did nobody think to make copies of all those records in anticipation that exactly this ridiculous bullsh!t would eventually take place!?!? They've had almost SIX YEARS.

[pansypoo53219]

11. oompah will win georgia in 2016 dammit!!! he will 'find' enough votes.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. 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.