A Georgia judge has accused Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Williams of failing to respond to requests under the Open Records Act (ORA) in a communication with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on January 6th. He ordered that records concerning the matter be handed over.
The nonprofit Judicial Watch filed suit against Willis in March after the office claimed there were no documents or communications recorded between Willis and Smith or between Willis and the Jan. 6 Commission. filed a lawsuit.
However, it was discovered that the correspondence existed in her office, and on Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Willis to turn over the correspondence within five business days. In his ruling, McBurney also determined that Willis' failure to respond to Judicial Watch's lawsuit violated Georgia's open records law.
McBurney was sentenced by default because the DA's office did not mount a “meritorious defense.” Rather, Ms. Willis claimed she did not receive adequate services.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump case at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on February 15, 2024. (Alyssa Pointerpool/Getty Images)
“Plaintiffs, therefore, are entitled to judgment by default as if every item and paragraph of the complaint had been supported by proper and sufficient evidence,” McBurney wrote in his decision, while also He was also ordered to pay Shall Watch's legal fees. “This means that Plaintiff has established that Defendant violated the ORA by failing to turn over corresponding records or by failing to notify Plaintiff of a decision to withhold some or all of those records. means.”
Hearing on attorney fees and expenses is scheduled to be held on December 20, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
“Fanny Willis is in a class of its own. We've been in this business for 30 years, and this is the first time in our experience that a government official has failed to appear or respond to an open records lawsuit.” authorities said. Watch President Tom Fitton said: “Judicial Watch looks forward to obtaining any documents from Operation Fani Willis regarding collusion with the Biden administration and Nancy Pelosi’s Congress on the unprecedented and dangerous prosecution of ‘President Trump.’”
The documents Judicial Watch sought stem from a House Judiciary Committee investigation into whether Willis cooperated with the House Jan. 6 Committee in its investigation.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a press conference at the Fulton County Government Center on August 14, 2023 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
U.S. lawmakers said Willis asked a House select committee on Jan. 6 to share evidence with his office.
Last year, President-elect Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty to all charges in connection with an alleged racketeering indictment for attempting to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election.
Specifically, Willis charged Trump with one count of violating Georgia's RICO law, three counts of abetting a crime, six counts of conspiracy, one count of filing a false document, and two counts of making a false statement.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis arrives to speak after winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Buckhead, Georgia. (AP Photo/Bryn Anderson)
Four of the defendants indicted alongside President Trump took plea deals in exchange for testifying against the other defendants.
Mr. Trump's team and other defendants had previously asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hold oral arguments to determine whether Mr. Willis can continue the prosecution.
The charges against Mr. Trump have not been formally dismissed, but the case has been paused as Mr. Trump and his co-defendants appeal a Fulton County judge's decision to disqualify Mr. Willis from prosecution.
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The Court of Appeals canceled arguments in November that were originally scheduled for early December.
Fox News Digital's Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
