Federal Judge Denies Fulton County's Bid to Reclaim Seized 2020 Election Ballots

A federal judge has rejected Fulton County, Georgia's motion to have 2020 election ballots and materials returned after they were seized by the FBI in a court-authorized search earlier this year, ruling that county attorneys failed to clear the legal threshold required to compel the return of the records.

The Details

U.S. District Judge Jean-Paul Boulee, who serves in the Northern District of Georgia and was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, issued the ruling Wednesday denying the county's motion to return the seized records. The FBI conducted a court-ordered search and seizure of more than 650 boxes of 2020 election records from a Fulton County election site in January 2026. The county subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking the return of the seized records.

In his ruling, Boulee determined that county attorneys did not establish sufficient evidence that the FBI affidavit was deficient in a way that showed 'callous disregard' for the county's rights. Boulee acknowledged that the affidavit was 'defective in some respects' by including misleading statements about the final 2020 ballot count in Fulton County, and also contained 'troubling' omissions about ballot mechanisms.

However, he wrote: 'While the Affidavit was certainly far from perfect, this is not a situation where an officer left out all the facts that might undermine probable cause or where an officer intentionally lied, the Court cannot say that the Affidavit was so deficient that its shortcomings rise to the 'high[] threshold' of callous disregard.'

During proceedings over the motion, elections expert Ryan Macias testified for Fulton County that the FBI's warrant application lacked evidence of intentional misconduct and relied on information that was 'incorrect and in many cases contradictory.' Macias served as an elections expert and consultant in the proceedings over the warrant's validity.

The judge heard arguments from both sides on March 27, and at that hearing he appeared skeptical of the county's case. Wednesday's ruling formally rejected the motion Boulee had been considering since those arguments.

Context

The FBI seizure followed a referral made by Kurt Olsen, a 2020 election denier now serving in the White House, on January 5, 2026. Fulton County officials have suggested the criminal investigation appears to be a 'pretext to acquire records that this Administration was unable to quickly secure via the civil litigation process.'

Judge Boulee's ruling comes after months of legal wrangling over the January 2026 FBI operation that removed more than 650 boxes of election materials from county custody. The county had sought the return of those records through its lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The proceedings took place in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, where Boulee has presided over the case. The dispute has drawn national attention given the targeting of 2020 election records in a battleground state county that was central to post-election disputes.

What's Next

The ruling means the seized 2020 election records will remain in federal custody. The full text of Boulee's ruling is not yet publicly available, and Fulton County's next legal steps have not been reported. The criminal investigation that prompted the seizure will continue with the records remaining under FBI control.