Georgia judge blocks DOJ subpoena for Fulton County election workers' data

A federal judge on Tuesday quashed a Justice Department subpoena seeking the names and personal contact information of Fulton County election workers who helped run Georgia’s 2020 vote. U.S. District Judge William Ray, a Trump appointee, said the request was “unreasonable,” “private and sensitive,” and “must be quashed.”

The subpoena reached deep into county records, seeking home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and other identifying details for county employees and volunteer poll workers. Those workers handled tasks that included reviewing mail-in ballots, staffing mobile voting locations, transferring results and transporting ballots in Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous county and home to Atlanta.

Ray said the grand jury process does not give the Justice Department unlimited power to seize private information without a legitimate purpose. Fulton County argued that the subpoena was overly broad and burdensome, and that it was designed to “target, harass and punish” perceived political opponents. County lawyers argued the demand would terrify workers and chill future election participation.

The fight over the subpoena had already moved through several court steps before Tuesday’s ruling. Fulton County Board of Commissioners moved to quash the demand on May 4, 2026. A hearing followed on May 19, and the case was unsealed on May 31 after the county asked to unseal it and members of the media joined the request. The court also ordered that the subpoena not be enforced while the motion to quash was pending.

In January 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched a Fulton County elections warehouse and seized ballots and other records from 2020. A separate judge later allowed the Justice Department to keep those records, and another ruling in May denied the county’s request to have the physical ballots returned.