Story perspectives

Fulton County Seeks to Block DOJ Election Workers Data Subpoena

5/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

Fulton County filed a motion in the Northern District of Georgia to quash a DOJ subpoena for 2020 election workers’ data.
The subpoena, dated April 17 and served April 20, seeks names, positions, residential and email addresses, and personal phone numbers of thousands of workers.
County attorneys claim the request violates the five-year statute of limitations, infringes First Amendment rights, intrudes on Georgia’s election authority, and note the Justice Department has not commented.

History

Historical Context

The Supreme Court’s Dec 12, 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore halted Florida’s recount, asserting federal courts could not override state election deadlines. In 2024, Fulton County sued the DOJ, arguing a five-year statute of limitations barred a subpoena that exposed personal data of about 3,000 election workers. The clash echoes the earlier tension over federal intrusion into state-run elections.

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Story summary

Fulton County filed a motion in the Northern District of Georgia to quash a DOJ subpoena for 2020 election workers’ data.
The subpoena, dated April 17 and served April 20, seeks names, positions, residential and email addresses, and personal phone numbers of thousands of workers.
County attorneys claim the request violates the five-year statute of limitations, infringes First Amendment rights, intrudes on Georgia’s election authority, and note the Justice Department has not commented.

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