Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is facing legal and financial consequences after a judge determined her office violated Georgia’s Open Records Act, ordering her to hand over documents and pay $54,000 in attorney’s fees.
Judge Slams Fulton DA for “Hostile” Conduct
In a scathing ruling, Fulton Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause didn’t hold back. She described the conduct of Willis and Fulton County officials as “hostile” and “substantially groundless” in their handling of open records requests from defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant.
Krause pointed to testimony and evidence showing Fulton officials made little to no effort to locate the requested documents. Worse, they failed to meet the state’s requirement to respond within three business days.
One particularly damning detail: Fulton County’s records custodian, Dexter Bond, admitted he deliberately handled Merchant’s request differently than others, even avoiding phone communication with her. That revelation seemed to cement the court’s decision.
$54,000 Price Tag — and a Deadline
The court didn’t just order Willis to pay up. The judge also imposed a tight 30-day deadline to turn over the requested documents. This includes:
- Employee emails related to the case
- Communication between Willis’s office and the county purchasing department about payments to outside lawyers
- A copy of the non-disclosure agreement employees are required to sign
- A list of attorneys hired by Willis since 2021
These records could shed light on the DA’s handling of the high-stakes election interference case — a case that has drawn national attention due to the involvement of former President Donald Trump.
The Bigger Picture: A High-Stakes Case Gets Messier
Merchant filed the lawsuit after hitting a dead end while representing Michael Roman, one of the 18 co-defendants indicted alongside Trump. The group stands accused of orchestrating an illegal scheme to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The ruling lands as yet another complication for Willis, whose prosecution of the election interference case has been under intense public scrutiny. The added weight of an open records violation and court-ordered payment only fuels questions about her office’s transparency.
For Merchant, the ruling represents more than just a legal win — it’s a validation of her persistence. She argued that Willis’s office stonewalled her and tried to obstruct legitimate efforts to access public records.
“It shouldn’t take a court order and $54,000 in fees to get the government to follow the law,” Merchant remarked after the ruling.
What Happens Next?
The court’s 30-day clock is ticking, and Willis’s office now faces the challenge of complying with the order while managing the already complex, high-profile case.
Willis has yet to publicly respond to the ruling. Whether her office appeals or complies without further legal battles remains to be seen.
One thing’s certain: this ruling is unlikely to quiet the storm surrounding the Fulton DA’s prosecution of the 2020 election case. If anything, it’s added more fuel to an already raging fire.
