{"id":2570713,"date":"2026-02-17T14:26:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/naacp-seeks-to-block-doj-use-of-fulton-county-election-data\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:30:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:30:29","slug":"naacp-seeks-to-block-doj-use-of-fulton-county-election-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/naacp-seeks-to-block-doj-use-of-fulton-county-election-data\/","title":{"rendered":"NAACP seeks to block DOJ use of Fulton County election data"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnaacp-seeks-to-block-doj-use-of-fulton-county-election-data%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570713&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Civil rights groups, including the NAACP and allied organizations, filed a federal court motion on behalf of the NAACP\u2019s national, Georgia, and Atlanta chapters and the Georgia Coalition for the People\u2019s Agenda to block the Justice Department from using election materials seized in January at Fulton County\u2019s election hub.They warn the data could be repurposed to create a national voter database and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-department-sues-fulton-county-to-obtain-records-related-to-2020-election\/\" title=\"... sues Fulton County to obtain records related to ...\">risk exposing sensitive personal information<\/a>, perhaps chilling voting rights. The motion requests expedited briefing by February 24 and seeks limits on how the materials can be used\u2014restricted to the criminal examination outlined in the search warrant, with no use for voter roll maintenance, election management, or immigration enforcement.It also asks for a detailed inventory of everything seized, access logs, copies made, and safeguards for security. The filing, led by the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, notes the seizure included ballots, tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images, and voter registration rolls, and that Fulton County officials have moved to have the materials returned. The case reflects a broader DOJ push to obtain detailed voter information nationwide, drawing pushback from voting-rights advocates who say such data-sharing threatens privacy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Civil rights groups seek ruling to block DOJ use of Fulton County election data<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2497701\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/civil-rights\/\">Civil rights<\/a> groups are asking a federal court to block the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/civil-rights\/\">Justice Department<\/a> immediately from using election materials seized in a January raid of a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fulton-county\/\">Fulton County<\/a> elections facility, warning that the data could be repurposed to build what they described as a &ldquo;national voter database&rdquo; of eligible voters.<\/p>\n<p>In a motion filed late Sunday, the NAACP and allied organizations argued that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\">Georgia<\/a> voters entrusted the state with &ldquo;sensitive personal information&rdquo; when registering to vote and that the Jan. 28 seizure of ballots and related records &ldquo;breached that guarantee, infringed constitutional protections of privacy, and interfered with the right to vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4456806\/trump-losing-lower-courts-despite-higher-court-wins\/\">Trump keeps losing TPS termination cases at lower courts despite higher court wins<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4457907\/doj-antitrust-shake-up-reflects-effort-to-define-maga-antitrust-after-slater-exit\/\">DOJ antitrust shake-up reflects effort to define &lsquo;MAGA antitrust&rsquo; after Slater exit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4458649\/massie-trump-transparency-files-epstein-administration\/\">Massie rips Trump&#8217;s lack of transparency on files as head of &#8216;Epstein administration&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center is seen on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Union City, Georgia, near Atlanta, as FBI agents search at the main election facility. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;NAACP members believe there is a substantial risk their sensitive data will &hellip; be improperly disclosed to agencies and third parties or misused to create a national voter database, purge eligible voters, or used for other improper purposes, chilling their right to vote, free from intimidation,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.gand.353743\/gov.uscourts.gand.353743.639.12_1.pdf\">the filing states<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The motion asks the court to fast-track the dispute, proposing a full briefing schedule by Feb. 24, and to impose strict limits on how federal investigators may use the materials. Specifically, the groups want a judge to bar the government from using the data for anything beyond the criminal investigation outlined in the search warrant, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-outnumber-democrats-in-miami-dade-county-for-first-time\/\" title=\"Republicans outnumber Democrats in Miami...Dade County for first time\">including voter roll maintenance<\/a>, election administration, or immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-civil-rights-groups-seek-limits-and-disclosures\">Civil rights groups seek limits and disclosures<\/h2>\n<p>The motion also asks the court to order the government to produce a detailed inventory of everything seized, identify anyone who accessed the records outside the investigative team, disclose whether copies were made, and explain the safeguards in place to secure the information.<\/p>\n<p>The request was filed by the Lawyers&rsquo; Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on behalf of the NAACP&rsquo;s national, Georgia, and Atlanta branches, along with the Georgia Coalition for the People&rsquo;s Agenda.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\">FBI agents<\/a> executed the warrant at an elections hub just south of Atlanta, seeking documents tied to the 2020 election. According to a copy of the search warrant, investigators collected ballots, scanner tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images generated during counting and recounting, and voter registration rolls.<\/p>\n<p>Fulton County officials separately have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4445674\/fulton-county-sue-fbi-raid\/\">moved for the return<\/a> of the seized materials.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fbi-inquiry-tied-to-long-running-scrutiny-of-2020-election\">FBI inquiry tied to long-running scrutiny of 2020 election<\/h2>\n<p>An FBI <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/26927576-fulton-county-affidavit\/\">affidavit supporting the warrant<\/a> states the criminal investigation began with a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4453284\/fulton-county-fbi-raid-prompted-by-kurt-olsen-criminal-referral\/\">referral from Kurt Olsen<\/a>, a lawyer who advised President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> during efforts to challenge his 2020 election loss and who now serves as Trump&rsquo;s director of election security and integrity.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has repeatedly focused on Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold and Georgia&rsquo;s most populous jurisdiction, which has been under scrutiny for various election-related errors tied to its handling of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2020-elections\/\">2020 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The bureau&rsquo;s search was led by Hugh Raymond Evans, who used at least 11 witnesses to support a finding of probable cause to believe that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >unknown individuals committed election law violations<\/a> by improperly preserving records and tabulating fictitious ballots.<\/p>\n<p>One glaring deficiency in Fulton County&rsquo;s data, according to the affidavit, is related to the 2020 election recount results as well as when the final numbers were reported. The county initially reported a total of 511,343 ballots, 17,434 fewer than originally counted. One day later, the county reported that 527,925 total ballots had been recorded in the recount.<\/p>\n<p>Evan wrote that even if the irregularities were not the result of intentional action, &ldquo;It would be a violation of federal law regardless of whether the failure to retain records or the deprivation of a fair tabulation of a vote was outcome determinative for any particular election or race.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Fulton County officials wrote in a Tuesday filing that the evidence cited by the FBI was &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.gand.355452\/gov.uscourts.gand.355452.30.0.pdf\">woefully short<\/a>&rdquo; of substantiating probable cause. The county argued that any actions would need to be willful to be crimes, and that no proof has yet been established to purport willful neglect.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the latest civil rights motion pointed to Trump&rsquo;s recent public remarks, including comments on former co-Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino&rsquo;s new podcast in which the president <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4443279\/trump-raises-nationalized-voting-idea-bongino-return-podcast\/\">suggested Republicans &ldquo;should take over the voting&rdquo;<\/a> in multiple states and said the federal government &ldquo;ought to nationalize the voting.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">The White House&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\">later backtracked on Trump&rsquo;s comments<\/a>, saying he has been a strong proponent of election integrity measures such as the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, w<\/span>hich is currently making its way through Congress. That legislation would require voter ID for federal elections.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-broader-legal-clash-over-voter-data-access\">Broader legal clash over voter data access<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-may-charge-some-capitol-rioters-under-rico-racketeering-law\/\" title=\"DOJ May Charge Some Capitol Rioters Under RICO Racketeering Law\">civil rights groups<\/a>&rsquo; request places the Fulton County seizure within a wider DOJ push to obtain detailed voter information nationwide. The department has sued at least 23 states and the District of Columbia seeking access to voter data, saying the effort is aimed at strengthening election security. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a> has highlighted failures in Democratic states to maintain up-to-date voter rolls.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic officials and voting-rights advocates, however, argue the requests risk exposing sensitive personal information and could be used for unrelated federal initiatives. Courts in several states have already rejected DOJ attempts to compel the production of certain records.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4453284\/fulton-county-fbi-raid-prompted-by-kurt-olsen-criminal-referral\/\">FULTON COUNTY FBI RAID PROMPTED BY TRUMP 2020 ELECTION LAWYER&rsquo;S CRIMINAL REFERRAL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These repeated efforts to access 2020 election records, including by the entity that now has custody of them, heightens concerns about the privacy and security of sensitive voter data and exacerbates the chill on voting rights,&rdquo; the civil rights motion stated.<\/p>\n<p>The court has not yet ruled on the request for expedited consideration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rights groups seek ruling to block DOJ use of Fulton data<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2570714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26028752529576.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[43705,7076,73964,73963,13195],"class_list":["post-2570713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-civilrights","tag-doj","tag-electiondata","tag-fultoncounty","tag-naacp"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26028752529576.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570713"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570717,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570713\/revisions\/2570717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}