A federal judge has ruled that the US Department of Justice may retain the 2020 election ballots seized by the FBI from a warehouse in Fulton County, Georgia. The decision came after lawyers for the county argued that the seizure was improper and unconstitutional, and that the materials should be returned.
The seizure, which took place on 28 January, targeted the election hub of Georgia's most populous county, a Democratic stronghold that includes most of Atlanta. Fulton County has been at the centre of baseless claims by Donald Trump and his allies that widespread election fraud cost him the 2020 election.
The Justice Department stated it is investigating irregularities during the 2020 presidential election in the county, citing potential violations of laws requiring election records to be kept for 22 months and prohibiting the procurement, casting, or tabulation of false ballots. Georgia's votes were counted three times, each affirming Joe Biden's win.
US District Judge JP Boulee acknowledged that the seizure was 'not perfect' but ruled that Fulton County did not establish that its rights were callously disregarded or that it would suffer irreparable harm, particularly because the Justice Department provided copies of the documents.
