A Georgia judge sided with conservative watchdog Judicial Watch in a lawsuit seeking access to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee, sparking a legal battle. After Willis’s office failed to reply to Judicial Watch’s open records request, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney made the decision. Willis received a default judgment ordering her to comply with Georgia’s open records rules and disclose the requested papers within five business days.

Judicial Watch sued Willis in March 2024 for violating the Georgia Open Records Act. The request sought correspondence between Willis, Special Counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw January 6 federal investigations, and the House January 6 Committee. Judicial Watch claimed Willis’s office misrepresented the records’ absence.