Fulton County will not be getting its 2020 election ballots back anytime soon. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee shot down a legal bid from county officials to reclaim the materials, which were hauled away by the FBI earlier this year.
The dispute stems from a January 28 seizure at an elections warehouse near Atlanta. Federal agents took physical ballots and other election records from the hub of Georgia’s most populous county.
Local attorneys fought the move in court, arguing that the seizure was unconstitutional and improper. They demanded the return of the original documents and any electronic copies the Justice Department created.
Judge Boulee’s ruling means the materials stay in federal hands for now.
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The investigation is centered on a county that has been under intense scrutiny since the 2020 election. While Fulton County has been a frequent target of claims regarding election fraud, Georgia’s results were actually counted three separate times—including a full manual hand count. Every single tally confirmed that Joe Biden won the state.
Federal prosecutors aren’t backing down. The Justice Department stated it is looking into “irregularities that occurred during the 2020 presidential election in the County.” Specifically, investigators are looking at potential violations of two federal laws: one that mandates election records be kept for at least 22 months, and another that bans the creation or tabulation of fraudulent ballots.
Despite the county’s push to get its property back, the court decided the federal government has the right to hold the evidence as the investigation continues.
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