A recent order from a Fulton County Superior Court judge has mandated that Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, re-initiate her search for records related to her criminal case against former President Donald Trump. The judge found that her prior search methods were inadequate, which has led to this new directive. This court order has come after a months-long pursuit by the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch to obtain communications between Willis’ office and the Jan. 6 select committee, as well as former special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
The recent decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for Willis. In January, a judge ordered her office to pay about $22,000 in legal fees to Judicial Watch, after finding that she had not fully responded to the watchdog’s initial open records requests. The order is part of an ongoing legal battle that has tested the validity of the case against Trump. The court’s ruling has also been part of a broader narrative where the legal scrutiny has intensified, especially given the political dimensions of the case.
The Judicial Watch, led by Tom Fitton, has been actively seeking documents that demonstrate any potential coordination between Willis and the federal government in the case against Trump. Fitton claims that the district attorney improperly worked with the federal government to charge Trump over the 2020 election, suggesting that the case may be politically motivated rather than based on solid legal grounds.
The court’s decision was prompted by an affidavit from Willis, which the judge found to be lacking in addressing the searches of devices belonging to former special prosecutor Nathan Wade and chief investigator Michael Hill. The judge raised questions about whether the records of these individuals had been properly examined, citing observed ‘omissions’ that may have led to potentially overlooked communications. Willis was given a 14-day window to provide a more comprehensive report on her search methods, including how she accessed the records of Hill and Wade.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to Willis’ office for any statements, but no comment has been received yet. The ongoing legal challenges have been compounded by the already disqualification of Willis from the case, which occurred in March 2025, due to her private relationship with Nathan Wade, which was deemed to present a conflict of interest. This led to the shelving of the case indefinitely. The new court order, while not altering the overall trajectory of these legal challenges, adds another layer of complexity to the case, emphasizing the legal and political intricacies involved.
Willis, who had charged Trump and 18 co-defendants in August 2023 with racketeering and other violations over the 2020 election, faced significant external pressures and scrutiny from various legal and political entities. This scrutiny has continued as the case has progressed, with the latest court order serving as a reminder of the challenges that arise when high-profile cases have legal and political implications. The case, which has been significantly whittled down due to plea deals and dismissed charges, continues to be a focal point of legal and political discourse in Georgia.