Judge blocks DOJ subpoena for Fulton election-worker data tied to Union City

A federal judge has rejected a Justice Department request for a broad set of personal details about people who worked on Fulton County’s 2020 election, a ruling with a direct connection to Union City.

Fulton County identifies its Election Hub and Operations Center at 5600 Campbellton Fairburn Road in Union City. The county also lists absentee-voting and voter-registration operations at that address.

What the judge ordered

U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II issued the order July 7 in Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections v. United States, case No. 1:26-cv-02777-WMR. He quashed grand jury subpoena No. 2026R00350-01 under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 17(c)(2), finding the request unreasonable and oppressive.

The subpoena, dated April 17, 2026, was directed to Fulton County. It sought names, job functions, residential addresses, email addresses and personal telephone numbers for a broad range of people connected to the November 2020 election.

The requested records covered election employees, contractors, poll workers, volunteers, recount workers, audit workers, ballot reviewers and precinct managers. The categories also included people involved in mail-in-ballot review, voter-review panels, mobile voting locations, ballot or election-media transport, election-day ballot review or tabulation, risk-limiting audits and recounts.

Why the subpoena was rejected

Judge Ray weighed the government’s investigative need against the burden and privacy risks of turning over personal information about a large group of election workers. The order said the government had not shown enough need to justify the breadth of the request.

The court also said disclosure could chill participation in election work and make it harder for Fulton County to recruit workers for future elections. That concern has practical importance as Georgia prepares for the general election scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.

The judge separately wrote that the statute of limitations had expired for potential crimes arising from the 2020 election. The order did not say that every possible later inquiry was barred. It distinguished those issues from the Justice Department’s arguments involving later allegations about preserving ballot records.

What the ruling does not decide

The decision protects the requested information from disclosure under this particular grand jury subpoena. It does not end every federal or congressional inquiry related to the 2020 election. The court also did not reach Fulton County’s arguments about possible political motivation because the other grounds were sufficient to resolve the case.

Reporting by Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Associated Press described the case as part of continuing disputes over election records and the treatment of people who worked on the 2020 vote. Claims about election fraud should not be treated as established facts; the reporting and court materials describe them as allegations or claims made without evidence.

For Union City residents, the immediate issue is how election operations protect workers and recruit enough staff for future elections. Fulton County lists the Union City facility for its Election Hub and Operations Center, absentee-voting office and voter-registration office. The Georgia Secretary of State provides the official statewide election schedule and voting information ahead of November.

Sources

• U.S. District Court order in Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections v. United States
• Fulton County Elections Contacts
• Georgia Public Broadcasting report on the ruling
• Georgia Secretary of State: November 3, 2026 General Election