Officials in Georgia’s Fulton County are asking a court to stop a U.S. Department of Justice effort to obtain personal information about individuals who worked during the 2020 election.
Attorneys for the county filed a motion on Monday seeking to quash a grand jury subpoena that requests the names and contact details of county employees and volunteer poll workers involved in administering the election. The county’s legal team argued the request is overly broad and lacks a valid investigative purpose.
In the filing, lawyers said the subpoena is intended to “target, harass and punish the President’s perceived political opponents.” They also argued the request is “grossly overbroad and untethered to any reasonable need,” adding it “cannot yield any evidence that could result in a criminal prosecution.”
The dispute comes as federal authorities continue examining the handling of the 2020 election in Fulton County, a heavily Democratic area that includes Atlanta. In January, the FBI searched a county elections warehouse and seized ballots and other election materials.
Certified results show that Republican Donald Trump lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden by 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast. Trump has continued to claim that the election was stolen.
County officials contend that any potential federal charges tied to the 2020 election would now fall outside the statute of limitations, further undercutting the need for the subpoena.
The court has not yet ruled on the county’s request.
