By SAMUEL LOPEZ, Legal Correspondent
USA HERALD — August 25, 2025
A Fulton County judge has ordered District Attorney Fani Willis to plug three glaring holes in her open-records search and, if necessary, run a fresh sweep for Trump-related communications — this time documenting exactly who and what got searched.
In an August 20 order, Judge Robert C.I. McBurney said Willis must, within 14 days, file the specific search protocols for herself and Investigator Michael L. Hill II and clarify whether former special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s materials were searched; if not, they must be searched now and any responsive records submitted to the court for private review.
The same order confirms the court has already examined 212 pages of emails, texts, and other materials in-camera and, for now, agrees they fall under Georgia’s “pending investigation or prosecution” exemption — meaning they are not currently subject to public release. Notably, the court rejected Willis’ blanket claim that everything was confidential attorney work product, signaling a narrower view of that privilege even as the “pending case” exemption controls. Justia
