Prosecutor Fani Willis Faces Court Setback in Trump Case

A Georgia judge has ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to release records of her communications with special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. House January 6 Committee. The order comes after a lawsuit claimed Willis failed to follow Georgia’s Open Records Act (ORA).

The nonprofit group Judicial Watch sued Willis in March after her office claimed it had no communications with Smith or the January 6 Committee. However, it was later revealed that such records existed.

On Monday, Judge Robert McBurney ruled that Willis must hand over the documents within five business days and said her office violated the ORA by not responding to the lawsuit.

Judge Finds DA in Violation

Judge McBurney issued a default judgment against Fani, meaning she automatically lost the case because her office failed to provide a valid defense. Willis had argued she wasn’t properly served with the lawsuit, but the judge rejected this claim.

“Plaintiff has proven that the defendant violated the ORA by failing to turn over records or notify the plaintiff about withholding them,” McBurney wrote. He also ordered Willis to pay Judicial Watch’s legal fees. A hearing to decide the amount of those fees is scheduled for December 20, 2024.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, called the ruling unprecedented. “In 30 years, we’ve never seen a government official default for failing to show up in court for an open records lawsuit,” he said.

Fitton added that the group is eager to see if the records reveal any cooperation between Willis, the Biden administration, and Congress regarding her investigation of former President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit focuses on whether Fani worked with the House January 6 Committee during its investigation. Lawmakers have previously said that Willis requested evidence from the committee for her own probe.

Willis is known for leading the case against Trump and 18 others over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump faces multiple charges, including violating Georgia’s RICO Act, criminal solicitation, and filing false documents. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.