Federal Judge Orders FBI to Unseal Fulton County Raid Documents

Fulton County officials challenge legality of warrant and seizure of 2020 election records

Feb. 10, 2026 at 10:07am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A federal judge has ordered the FBI to unseal documents related to the agency's seizure of Fulton County ballots from the 2020 presidential election. U.S. District Court Judge J. P. Boulee issued the order in response to motions filed by Fulton County to unseal the records related to the January 28 FBI raid on an election operations center.

Why it matters

The unprecedented federal search warrant and seizure of election records has been widely criticized by local officials as federal overreach. Fulton County leaders are challenging the legality of the warrant and demanding the return of the ballots and other sensitive election materials.

The details

On January 28, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center, seizing hundreds of boxes of ballots, voter rolls, ballot images and other records from the 2020 election. Fulton County Commissioners have filed a motion to challenge the legality of the warrant and the seizure of these sensitive election records, and force the government to return the ballots taken.

  • On January 28, the FBI executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center.
  • On February 10, a federal judge ordered the FBI to unseal documents related to the raid by Tuesday.

The players

J. P. Boulee

A U.S. District Court Judge and an appointee of former President Donald Trump.

Fulton County Commissioners

The county officials who have filed a motion to challenge the legality of the FBI's search warrant and seizure of election records.

Arrington

The only practicing attorney on the Fulton County Commission, who has stressed that the FBI took physical custody of original ballots and voter rolls, rather than just making copies.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I've asked the county attorney to take any and all steps available to fight this criminal search warrant. The search warrant, I believe, is not proper, but I think that there are ways that we can limit it. We want to ask for forensic accounting, we want the documents to stay in the State of Georgia under seal, and we want to do whatever we can to protect voter information.”

— Arrington, Fulton County Commissioner (atlantadailyworld.com)

What’s next

The details of Fulton County's motion to formally fight the FBI's actions are expected to be available upon its filing in federal court on Tuesday.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between federal authorities and local officials over the handling of sensitive election records, raising questions about the appropriate balance of power and the protection of voter privacy in the aftermath of a contentious presidential election.