Fulton County Asks Federal Court to Order FBI to Return Seized 2020 Ballots and Election Records

PBS reports that lawyers for Fulton County, Georgia, have asked a federal court to compel the FBI to return 2020 election ballots and records agents seized in a January raid on a county elections warehouse near Atlanta. The Justice Department has said the search was conducted under a warrant as part of an investigation into potential mishandling of ballot images, duplicate scans and tabulator issues, but Fulton officials argue the seizure overstepped federal authority and interferes with local custody of election materials. The motion escalates a simmering jurisdictional fight over who controls key 2020 evidence and how far federal investigators can go in physically removing ballots and records from county control. The same PBS segment notes that U.S. stocks just closed their worst week since the Iran war began, marking a fifth consecutive weekly decline, underscoring how the conflict is rattling markets at the same time foundational election‑administration disputes are landing back in federal court.