The conservative group Judicial Watch announced on Tuesday that a Georgia judge ruled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must cover about $20,000 in fees related to an open records case.
Newsweek reached out to a Willis spokesperson for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The ruling is the latest blow for Willis, who in December was disqualified from the case against President-elect Donald Trump into his alleged attempts at thwarting the 2020 election results in Georgia, a key state he lost to Biden that year but flipped back in 2024.
Willis' handling of the case sparked criticism after an attorney representing one of Trump's co-defendants revealed she had a romantic relationship with one of the attorneys hired to lead the prosecution agianst Trump.
What to Know
The order stems from an open records case in which Judicial Watch asked Willis' office to hand over any documents that would show potential communications with Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has led a separate probe into Trump's actions surrounding the 2020 election.
Superior Court of Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney wrote in a January 3 order that Willis' office violated the open records request by identifying responsive documents and categorizing them as exempt, but earlier saying no such documents existed.
"Even if the records prove to be just that—exempt from disclosure for sound public policy reasons—this late revelation is a patent violation of the ORA. And for none of this is there any justification, substantial or otherwise: no one searched until prodded by civil litigation," he wrote.
He found Willis' office liable for paying Judicial Watch $19,360 in attorney's fees related to ther efforts to enforce compliace with the request, as well as $2,218 in other related litigation expenses.
Willis's probe against Trump focused on his call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump urged him to "find" enough votes to tilt the election in his favor, as well as an alleged plot to submit a false slate of pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College.
Trump has maintained his innocence, accusing Willis of targeting him for political purposes.
What People Are Saying
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, in a statement: "Fani Willis flouted the law, and the court is right to slam her and require, at a minimum, the payment of nearly $22,000 to Judicial Watch. But in the end, Judicial Watch wants the full truth on what she was hiding – her office's political collusion with the Pelosi January 6 committee to 'get Trump.'"
What Happens Next
Willis has appealed the decision, but Trump's victory likely means Trump cannot go to trial until 2029, when his current term is up and he is out of the White House.
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