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A Georgia judge ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to hand over communications related to her case against President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
The ruling includes all communications with special counsel Jack Smith and the House Jan. 6 committee, turning over the records to the watchdog organization Judicial Watch.
“Fani Willis is something else. We’ve been doing this work for 30 years, and this is the first time in our experience a government official has been found in default for not showing up in court to answer an open records lawsuit,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a press release.
“Judicial Watch looks forward to getting any documents from the Fani Willis operation about collusion with the Biden administration and Nancy Pelosi’s Congress on her unprecedented and compromised ‘get-Trump’ prosecution,” he added.
Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis violated Georgia’s open-records laws by failing to respond to a public records request submitted in August 2023.
The watchdog group, which advocates for government transparency, filed a lawsuit in March after receiving no reply to their request for communications between Willis’ office, Special Counsel Jack Smith, and the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Judge McBurney found Willis in default and ordered her to produce the requested documents within five business days. This decision adds another layer to the ongoing legal and political controversies surrounding Willis, who is overseeing the last criminal case against Trump.
That case centers on accusations that Trump tried to interfere with Georgia’s 2020 election results. In contrast, Special Counsel Smith dropped other federal charges against Trump following his re-election last month, and a Manhattan judge has indefinitely postponed sentencing in Trump’s state-level business records case.
The ruling comes amid increasing public criticism of Willis, who has faced scrutiny for her personal relationship with Nathan Wade, a lawyer she hired to lead the prosecution of Trump.
A hearing is set for Dec. 20 to consider Judicial Watch’s request for attorney fees related to their successful lawsuit. The group has hailed the decision as a win for government accountability and transparency, particularly in a case that has captured widespread national attention.
