A court in Georgia has found Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in violation of open records laws. This ruling comes from a lawsuit filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch, which sought information about Willis's communications with special counsel Jack Smith and the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack. Judge Robert McBurney granted a default judgment in favor of the plaintiff, ordering Willis's office to provide the requested documents and suggesting that the state might have to pay attorney fees.
Judicial Watch accused Willis and her office of providing "likely false" information regarding their possession of records related to their communications. In August 2023, Judicial Watch filed an open records request for all documents related to Smith and the House committee. After the request was acknowledged, Fulton County claimed they did not have the records, prompting the lawsuit in March.
Despite being served with the lawsuit, Willis did not act promptly, only moving to appear on May 15, well after being found in default on April 11. The judge noted that Willis had been tardy and did not utilize legal procedures that could have allowed her to defend herself in the case. The court ordered that Willis must produce the requested records, with certain exemptions applicable, within five business days.
The judge expressed belief that there are indeed relevant documents that Willis's office holds. If the documents requested are not provided, Willis must explain why they do not exist or why they are being withheld. Judicial Watch's president stated that this is a rare situation where a government official has been found in default for not addressing an open records lawsuit, and they look forward to obtaining documents related to the alleged collusion with the Biden administration and the prosecution of Trump.
Judicial Watch has also requested attorney fees, a matter now under consideration with a hearing scheduled for December 20.
No comments:
Post a Comment