Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is now at the center of an escalating legal conflict after a Georgia judge ruled in favor of Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog organization, in a lawsuit seeking access to her office’s communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. Judge Robert McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court made the decision following Willis’s office’s failure to timely respond to Judicial Watch’s open records request. The court issued a default judgment against Willis, compelling her to comply with Georgia’s open records laws and provide the requested documents within five business days.

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit in March 2024, alleging that Willis had violated the Georgia Open Records Act. The request aimed to obtain records related to communications between Willis, Special Counsel Jack Smith—who was overseeing federal investigations connected to January 6—and the House January 6 Committee. Judicial Watch contended that Willis’s office incorrectly asserted that no such records existed.