A Fulton County judge has ruled against District Attorney Fani Willis’ attempt to block subpoenas issued by the Georgia Senate special committee investigating allegations of misconduct in her prosecution of former President Donald Trump and others.
Judge Shukura L. Ingram rejected Willis’ bid for a permanent injunction, affirming that the Senate committee had the authority to compel her testimony and document production.
The ruling marks a significant setback for Willis as she faces mounting scrutiny over her handling of the high-profile election interference case against Trump and his co-defendants.
The subpoenas, issued in August 2024, demanded Willis’ appearance and production of records. However, she did not attend a scheduled hearing in September, leading the committee to enforce compliance. In response, Willis challenged the subpoenas, arguing they were overly broad and violated attorney-client and work product privileges.
Judge Ingram dismissed these claims, stating that allowing subpoena recipients to delay compliance through litigation would create an “absurd” and inefficient legal precedent.
“If, every time a subpoena is issued by a Special Committee, a recipient can simply litigate its validity and enforcement until the General Assembly reconstitutes and then they have to start over, this would be an absurd result indeed,” Ingram wrote in her ruling. “This could and would result in lost evidence, fading memories, and general inefficiency.”
Ingram also ordered Willis to clarify her objections concerning attorney-client privilege, work product privilege, and law enforcement privilege by March 12, pressing for specificity on the legal basis of her claims.
“Here, who is the attorney? Who is the client? Moreover, the communication must have been made for the purpose of getting or giving legal advice. How does that apply here? These are questions that Petitioner needs to answer, or else abandon her objection to these requests on the basis of attorney-client privilege,” the judge wrote.
Willis’ legal battles come amid broader political and legal challenges surrounding the prosecution of Trump, as well as allegations of conflicts of interest and improper conduct in her office.
The Georgia Senate committee’s probe continues to add pressure as she navigates both the legal and political fallout of the case.
