Election officials in Fulton County, Georgia, asked a federal judge on Tuesday (local time) to block the U.S. Justice Department from obtaining personal information of thousands of workers involved in the 2020 election, further escalating legal disputes related to the aftermath of that election, Newsmax reported on Wednesday.

The Fulton County Board of Election Supervisors filed a motion to quash a grand jury subpoena issued last month. The subpoena demands the names, addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information of regular employees and poll volunteer workers.

In their filing, the county stated, "Its purpose is to target and harass and punish those it perceives as political opponents of the President," and that it is "overbroad and wholly unrelated to any legitimate need."

The election board argued that such demands could chill civic engagement and infringe upon constitutionally protected provisions, warning that it could impact the First Amendment and infringe upon Georgia's election administration authority.

They also stated that the subpoena could not be used to "secure any evidence that could lead to criminal prosecution" because the statute of limitations for crimes related to the 2020 election has expired.

According to the filed documents, the subpoena, issued by an FBI agent on April 20, targets 10 categories of election officials, including county workers and bus drivers who operated mobile polling stations.

The lawsuit states, "This subpoena seeks to compel the disclosure of identifying and other personal information of election officials who participated in the 2020 Fulton County election, in a political environment where election officials are fearing for their physical safety."

The Fulton County Election Board has been engaged in litigation with the U.S. Justice Department over 2020 election materials, including ballots and voter data, and has been involved in extensive legal battles ranging from the issuance of subpoenas to FBI searches earlier this year.

The conflict escalated in January when FBI agents executed a search warrant at the county's election facility and seized hundreds of boxes of ballots, tabulation tapes, and digital records as part of their investigation.

Fulton County became a focal point of election fraud allegations after then-President Donald Trump, following his narrow loss in the state, pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes."

Fulton County Election Board Chair Robb Pitt criticized the subpoena as "another ridiculous overreach by the federal government, designed to intimidate and chill election participation."

He added, "Let me be clear, Fulton County will not be intimidated."

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Raffensperger is running for governor in the May 19 primary.

The most prominent figures in the Republican primary for Georgia governor, which features eight candidates, are incumbent Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who has the full support of President Trump, and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson.

Trailing them are Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr.

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Editor, NNP USA / Special Correspondent, NNP info@newsandpost.com