Fulton County Pushes Back Against DOJ's Fishing Expedition Into 2020 Election Workers' Data

Fulton County, Georgia, home to Atlanta and a cornerstone of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, is pushing back hard against the Justice Department’s latest overreach. The county’s Board of Registration and Elections has filed a motion to quash a subpoena demanding the names, addresses, and phone numbers of thousands of election workers from the 2020 presidential contest.

The board’s legal filing accuses the DOJ of launching “the latest effort to target and harass President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies.” They warn that the subpoena threatens the First Amendment rights of election workers and will chill future participation in elections. More than that, the county asserts the federal demand “unreasonably interferes with Georgia’s sovereign authority to administer elections.”

This showdown is the latest chapter in a saga fueled by Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged in Georgia—a state Biden flipped after Trump’s 2016 win. Fulton County’s Board Chair Robb Pitts condemned the subpoena as “outrageous federal overreach,” highlighting the political weaponization of the Justice Department.

The subpoena follows an FBI search of the Fulton County elections office in January, which itself was based on a warrant application riddled with debunked conspiracy theories about election fraud. The county has since filed a lawsuit to reclaim seized election materials, underscoring the aggressive tactics used to intimidate election officials and workers.

Adding to the controversy, the subpoena requests the records be turned over not to a grand jury but to a prosecutor in North Carolina’s Middle District—Dan Bishop—appointed by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead election-related investigations nationwide. The board’s motion questions whether the grand jury is even aware of or involved in this investigation, suggesting the subpoena process is being abused for political ends, especially since the statute of limitations on any alleged 2020 election crimes has long expired.

The filing also points to Trump’s public social media posts, including a November 2025 Truth Social message declaring, “THE 2020 ELECTION WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN,” as evidence that the subpoena is part of a broader campaign to intimidate poll workers who resisted his efforts to overturn the election.

Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly used the Justice Department and executive powers to retaliate against critics and political opponents, turning federal agencies into tools for personal vendettas.

Fulton County’s fight is more than a local dispute. It’s a frontline battle against the corrosive politicization of law enforcement and an urgent defense of democratic norms and election integrity. The stakes couldn’t be higher: protecting election workers from harassment is essential to preserving free and fair elections in the face of authoritarian assaults.

The DOJ has yet to comment on the motion, but the implications are clear. This is not about justice. It’s about power, revenge, and undermining the very foundations of democracy.