JUST IN: Fanι Wιllιs Fоɾced Tо Release All Cоmmυnιcatιоns Wιth Jack Smιth, J6 Cоmmιttee

The Fulton County Superior Court has ruled against District Attorney Fani Willis, ordering her to disclose communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. The decision, announced on Tuesday, follows a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, which accused Willis of violating Georgia’s Open Records Act.

The court’s order grants Judicial Watch’s motion for default judgment, directing Willis to search for and release any non-exempt records within five business days. Additionally, the court awarded attorneys’ fees to Judicial Watch, citing Willis’s failure to meet legal requirements for responding to the records request.

The lawsuit stems from a request made by Judicial Watch in August 2023 for all documents and communications between Willis, her office, and Special Counsel Jack Smith, as well as with the House January 6 Committee. Initially, Willis’s office claimed no such records existed. Judicial Watch countered with legal action in March 2024, asserting that Willis’s office failed to produce documents it likely possessed.

Court records reveal that the case encountered procedural hiccups, including confusion over the filing of service documents. Willis’s legal team argued that delays in the court’s electronic docket system caused her office to miss deadlines. However, the court determined that these technical issues did not excuse Willis from her legal obligations.

Judge Robert McBurney found Willis in default, citing her failure to respond in a timely manner. The ruling noted that Willis could have moved to address the default or presented a defense but did neither. Instead, her office argued procedural points that the court ultimately dismissed.

“Plaintiff has established that Defendant violated the Open Records Act by failing to either turn over responsive records or notify Plaintiff of her decision to withhold some or all such records,” the court stated in its order.

The judgment compels Willis to conduct a “diligent search” for records related to Judicial Watch’s request. If any materials are withheld, the court mandates an explanation under Georgia’s open records laws. A hearing on attorneys’ fees is scheduled for December 20.

The ruling arrives at a time of heightened scrutiny on Willis, who leads the high-profile case against former President and President-elect Donald Trump, and others tied to efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

“Fani Willis is something else,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “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 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,” Fitton continued.

Judicial Watch sued the DOJ in October 2023 for records of collaboration between Special Counsel Smith and Fulton County DA Willis, with the DOJ refusing to confirm the existence of such records.

Earlier, in January 2024, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit over the hiring of Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor in Georgia’s election dispute case.  Separately, it revealed New York DA Alvin Bragg paid high-profile legal fees to fight oversight of Trump’s indictment.