FBI and ICE raid Georgia judge

1. What happened: an FBI seizure of Fulton County election material, not an ICE raid of a judge

On 28 January 2026 FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Elections Hub and removed roughly 700 boxes of 2020 election records, including original ballots, ballot images, tabulator tapes and voter rolls, according to contemporaneous reporting and a copy of the warrant seen by multiple outlets ^{[2] [5] [3]}. None of the supplied reporting documents ICE agents raiding a judge in Georgia or says ICE shared operational control of the Fulton County action; the seized documents and the warrant are repeatedly described in the sources as an FBI, court‑authorized law‑enforcement action ^{[1] [6]}.

2. Who authorized and who is involved: federal prosecutors, a magistrate judge, and political actors

The criminal warrant was obtained by a U.S. attorney assigned to election‑integrity matters and signed by a federal magistrate judge, with outlets reporting the seizure grew out of a federal probe into the 2020 election ^{[2] [3] [1]}; critics point to post‑raid communications that raise political questions, notably reporting that President Trump spoke to agents after the operation concluded and that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard facilitated a brief call at the field office ^{[7] [4] [3]}.

3. Legal friction: civil litigation, questions about scope and chain of custody

Fulton County officials and Georgia Democrats say the seizure contradicted ongoing civil litigation that had contemplated production of copies, and have signaled plans to challenge the FBI’s removal of originals — legal experts in the coverage warn the FBI’s approach may raise chain‑of‑custody and procedural issues and could be litigated as unlawful seizure or an “end run” around a judge’s prior orders ^{[3] [8] [9]}.

4. Political context and competing narratives: election skepticism meets federal enforcement

Observers and columnists frame the raid as both a law‑enforcement step and a political event: critics say the operation feeds a broader campaign by the White House and aligned state officials to relitigate 2020 and sow doubt ahead of 2026 and 2028 elections, while DOJ supporters argue it is a necessary inquiry into alleged criminal conduct tied to the 2020 cycle ^{[5] [7] [10]}. The state board of elections’ recent actions, allied with Republican-led efforts to revisit 2020 claims, are central to why Georgia became the focal point of this probe ^{[5] [3]}.

5. What the sources do not support: no evidence presented that ICE raided a Georgia judge

The assembled reporting documents multiple controversies — including questions about presidential contact, whether the seizure complied with other court orders, and critics’ warnings about chilling effects on election officials — but none of the sources provided alleges that ICE raided a Georgia judge or that ICE jointly raided the Fulton County elections hub; where ICE appears in the supplied corpus it is in broader commentary about other enforcement actions or as a rhetorical comparison, not as an actor in this specific Georgia operation ^{[11] [10] [3]}.

6. Why it matters and the likely next steps

The seizure touches core issues of electoral integrity, federalism, and public trust: legal challenges over custody and authority are already anticipated, county officials are seeking return of property and explanations, and commentators warn the episode will be used politically by both critics and supporters — all of which suggest prolonged litigation, political fallout in Georgia, and intensified scrutiny of how the federal government pursues election‑related investigations ^{[3] [9] [5]}.