Judge orders Fani Willis to turn over records over Judicial Watch suit

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A Georgia judge ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to turn over records from special counsel Jack Smith and the House Select Committee of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots to a conservative legal watchdog group.

Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney gave Willis five days to produce the records related to a lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch in March. The group said Willis' office declined to respond to requests for records they charged, which were covered under the state's open records act.

McBurney argued that Willis failed to make a "meritorious defense" of the case, instead relying on the claim that she had not been properly served. Thus, Judicial Watch was granted the ruling by default.

Willis's office has the last remaining active criminal case against the president-elect in a wide-ranging racketeering indictment stemming from Trump and his supporters trying to overturn the results of 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Trump and 18 others were criminally indicted in the case. Some defendants have slowed and undermined the case because of a personal relationship Willis had with one of the attorneys she hired in the sweeping case.

While Trump is not expected to stand trial while in office, 14 of his co-defendants are expected to defend themselves in court. Four other 19 defendants had previously cut plea deals in the case.

While Willis has already testified about her relationship in Fulton County court, state Republicans are pushing to have her address the relationship again as part of their investigation.